Basil And Orange Granita Food

ORANGE-BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Let syrup stand 15 minutes.
• Stir together orange juice, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour basil syrup through a fine sieve into the orange juice mixture; discard basil.
• Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch shallow nonreactive dish. Chill in freezer until edges are frozen, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from freezer; scrape with fork tines, pulling from edges into center. Return to freezer. Repeat process every 30 minutes until mixture is the texture of shaved ice, about 4 1/2 hours. Spoon into serving bowls, and garnish with basil.

CAMPARI & ORANGE GRANITA

Steps:

• First make the sugar syrup: Combine the sugar and water in small saucepan and boil over high heat until the sugar is dissolved.
• Pour the sugar syrup into a 10 x 13 x 2-inch ceramic dish and stir in the orange juice, Campari, and lemon juice. Carefully place the dish on a level surface in the freezer. Freeze for one hour, rake the granita with a large dinner fork, and return it to the freezer. Rake the granite every 30 minutes, until it's firm and granular. This should take a several hours. Serve frozen in pretty bowls or stemmed martini glasses.

LEMON-BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar with 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature.
• Add the basil to the sugar syrup and muddle the leaves with the base of a wooden spoon. Let steep for 1 hour. Strain the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish (discard the basil). Stir in the lemon juice and vodka, if using. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 2 hours. Scrape with a fork to form small crystals in the ice every 30 minutes to an hour until the mixture is fully frozen, about 1 hour more.
• Serve the granita in chilled glasses, garnished with the small basil leaves.

ORANGE BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and 1 cup water to a simmer over medium low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Stir in basil and let syrup stand for 15 minutes.
• Stir together orange juice, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Pour basil syrup through a fine sieve into the orange juice mixture; discard basil.
• Move mixture to a 9"x13" shallow nonreactive dish(glass is good). Chill in the freezer until edges are frozen, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from freezer; scrape with a fork, pulling from the edges into center. Return to freezer. Repeat process every 30 minutes until the mix is the texture of shaved ice, about 4 hours. Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with basil sprigs. Enjoy!

ORANGE GRANITA

Steps:

• Clean and wash the oranges.
• Cut off the top 1/4 of the oranges and shave a small slice off the bottom so it stands easily.
• Using a grapefruit knife, cut out the flesh of the oranges and place in a strainer set over a bowl.
• Be careful not to cut through the bottom.
• Stand the oranges on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer and freeze until solid.
• Press the flesh of the oranges through the strainer to extract all of the juice.
• You should end up with about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of orange juice.
• Add the extra 4 cups orange juice. Stir in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is of desired sweetness. Add the basil and orange-flavored liqueur and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Strain the mixture into a roasting pan or baking dish.
• The dish should be large enough so the liquid is not more than 1-inch deep. Freeze the mixture for 1 hour.
• Remove from the freezer and scrape with 2 forks to break up ice.
• Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours, scraping with forks every hour or so.
• When the granite is frozen, scoop it into the orange shells and serve immediately.

MELON WITH BASIL-LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• Bring water and 2/3 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Purée syrup with basil and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon lime juice until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart shallow nonreactive container, pressing on and then discarding solids.
• Freeze basil-lime syrup, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, until evenly frozen, about 2 hours.
• One hour before serving, cut melons into small wedges and peel. Combine in a large bowl. Whisk together remaining 2 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon sugar and pour over fruit. Let macerate, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Scrape granita with a fork, crushing any lumps. Serve melon in shallow bowls, drizzled with melon liquid and topped with granita and mint.

BLUEBERRY BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Blend blueberries, water, basil, lime juice, honey and salt in a food processor or blender until smooth. Place in an airtight container and freeze until slushy, at least 2 1/2 hours. Divide among 4 glasses and serve with a sprig of fresh basil.

TOMATO & BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl with all the other ingredients except the basil leaves. If you have time, leave them to macerate at room temperature overnight. Blitz in a blender - in batches, then strain through a fine sieve. Shred the basil leaves and stir through.
• Clear a shelf in the freezer and place a sided metal tray in to chill. Make up your mix and leave to cool, then pour into the tray and cover with cling film. Freeze the liquid until frozen around the edges and slushy in the middle. Use a fork to break up the ice into smaller crystals. Return the tray to the freezer. Repeat the breaking up process every half hour (at least three times) until it's completely frozen and the texture of snow. For a quicker method: freeze the mixture in an ice tray, then blitz the cubes in a food processor just before serving. The texture will be slightly slushier, but just as delicious.

BASIL AND ORANGE GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, 2 cups water, and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the basil, orange juice and lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature to infuse for one hour, or refrigerate up to overnight.
• Pour into a wide shallow container. Cover with a lid, plastic wrap, or foil. Transfer to freezer until frozen around the edges. Remove from freezer, and scrape the ice with a fork, mixing it from the edge into the center. Return to freezer. Repeat scraping and mixing process every 30 minutes or so (at least 3 times) until the entire mixture has turned into small, sequined ice flakes.
• Best eaten immediately. If leaving in freezer overnight or longer, let sit at room temperature until it softens a little, then scrape it again with a fork to lighten the texture.