Limoncello Pear And Riesling Granita Food

LIMONCELLO GRANITA

Steps:

• Place the simple syrup, mascarpone cheese, limoncello, and salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until the mixture is firm.
• Using the tines of a fork, scrape the mixture into small serving bowls or glasses. Serve immediately.
• Lemon Simple Syrup
• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Yield: 1 3/4 cups

LIMONCELLO GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine sugar and 1 cup cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is syrupy, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and 3/4 cup cold water, then stir in limoncello.
• Pour liquid into a large, shallow pan. Place pan on a flat surface in the freezer and freeze for at least 8 hours. During the first 2 hours, remove the pan every 20 to 40 minutes and stir the contents with a fork, making sure to scrape down the sides of dish and combining the iced and still-liquid portions. When the granita has frozen completely, use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape the top, collecting each serving. Place in a cocktail glass or bowl and serve.

LIMONCELLO, PEAR AND RIESLING GRANITA

Steps:

• Mix water, 1 cup of the wine and the sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Add pears, lower the heat to simmer and cook the pears gently, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly in cooking liquid.
• Drain the pears, reserving the cooking liquid.
• Puree the pears in a food processor until smooth (you should have 1 cup of pear puree).
• Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the cooking liquid, the remaining wine and the limoncello to the bowl; mix well.
• Pour into a shallow metal pan that will fit into the freezer and freeze.
• Gently stir the granita every 20 minutes or until frozen to allow the mixture to freeze without separating and give the proper crystalline texture.
• Once the granita is frozen, scrape the mixture with a spoon or ice-cream scoop into a pretty glass and serve immediately.
• Garnish with lemon zest or a sprig of mint.