Lemon Basil Granita Food

LEMON BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Add the water, sugar, lemon zest, and basil to a medium sauce pan. Over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil.
• Once the mixture comes to a boil turn the heat down slightly and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat after the 5 minutes and cover. Let this mixture steep for 15 minutes.
• Strain the mixture into a bread pan and discard the lemon zest and basil leaves. Add the lemon juice. Cool for about 10 minutes and set in the refrigerator.
• Once the mixture is chilled move it to the freezer. After 30 minutes take a fork and scrape the ice off of the sides of the bread pan. Continue this process until the mixture is frozen.
• Scoop into dessert dishes and serve.

LEMON GRANITA

Steps:

• Clean and wash the lemons. Cut off the top 1/4 of the lemons and shave a small slice off the bottom so it stands easily.
• Using a grapefruit knife, cut out the flesh of the lemon and place in a strainer set over a bowl. Be careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the lemons on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer and freeze until solid.
• Press the flesh of the lemons through the strainer to extract all of the juice. You should end up with about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice. Add the water to the lemon juice. Stir in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is of desired sweetness. Add the thyme and limoncello 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 frozen lemon shells and serve immediately.

LEMON BASIL SORBETTO

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, combine 2 cups water, the sugar, basil sprigs, lemon zest and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Strain the syrup into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the syrup into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Once partially frozen, sprinkle in the basil leaves and continue to freeze until firm. Pour into an airtight container and place in the freezer to freeze completely.
• Serving option: Scoop 1 or 2 small scoops of sorbetto into a coupe glass and top with a splash of prosecco.

ZESTY LEMON GRANITA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and thyme. Transfer to an 8-in. square dish; cool to room temperature., Remove thyme sprigs. Freeze for 1 hour; stir with a fork. Freeze 2-3 hours longer or until completely frozen, stirring every 30 minutes., Stir granita with a fork just before serving; spoon into dessert dishes. Garnish with lemon zest.

PEACH GRANITA WITH LEMON BASIL

Steps:

• Do not peel, but stone and quarter the peaches.
• Bring the water, wine and sugar to a boil; add the peaches and reduce heat to low. Simmer peaches until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Add the coarsely chopped basil. Cover and refrigerate over night.
• Strain out fruit and basil. Reserve peaches for another use.
• Add lemon juice to taste.
• Freeze in shallow pan, stirring every half hour until frozen.

ITALIAN LEMON ICE (GRANITA)

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups of the water with the sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Add the salt, stir, and remove the pan from the heat.
• Stir in the remaining water and let cool to room temperature.
• Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place a shallow metal 2 1/2 qt container (such as a large cake pan) in the freezer to chill.
• Add the lemon juice, lemon peel, and extract to the chilled sugar mixture; stir until well blended.
• Pour into the chilled metal pan.
• Place the pan in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, or until ice crystals form around the edges.
• Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer.
• Repeat every 30 minutes, or until all the liquid is crystallized but not frozen solid, about 3 hours.
• To serve, scoop the granita into chilled dessert bowls or goblets.
• (If the granita has become too hard, scrape it with a large metal spoon to break up the ice crystals.) Serve at once.
• Advance Preparation: The granita can be stored, covered, for up to four days in the freezer, but it will have become frozen solid.
• To serve, either allow the granita to thaw in the refridgerator until you can scrape the crystals, or break it up into chunks and process with on/off motions in a food processor fitted with the knife blade until fairly smooth.

LEMON GRANITA

Steps:

• With a vegetable peeler remove zest in long pieces from 2 lemons. Squeeze 1/2 cup juice from lemons.
• In a small heavy saucepan heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in zest and transfer syrup to a bowl to cool. Chill syrup, covered, until cold. Discard zest and stir in lemon juice.
• For eastern-Sicilian granita:
• Freeze lemon mixture in an ice-cream maker until spoonable but not crumbly and serve immediately.
• For western-Sicilian granita:
• Freeze lemon mixture in a metal bowl, stirring every 30 minutes to remove ice crystals from side of bowl, until liquid has become granular but is still slightly slushy, about 3 to 4 hours. Serve granita immediately.