Orange Basil 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.

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.

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.

ORANGE GRANITA

Steps:

• Squeeze 5 to 6 oranges to yield 3 cups of juice. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Boil over high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a shallow 2-quart dish, and add remaining orange juice.
• Freeze, scraping around sides and breaking into crystals with a fork every 30 minutes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours total. Cover with plastic wrap; keep in freezer until ready to serve.

COFFEE AND ORANGE GRANITA SUPREMA

Steps:

• Mix coffee, 1/2 cup sugar, grated orange peel and ground cinnamon in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature. Transfer mixture to loaf pan. Freeze until granita is consistency of shaved ice, stirring mixture with fork and breaking frozen edge pieces every 30 minutes, about 3 hours. (Granita can be made 6 hours ahead. If possible, stir every 30 minutes to 1 hour. Before serving, blend mixture in processor to break up ice.)
• Beat chilled whipping cream and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add Grand Marnier and beat until soft peaks form again. Spoon granita into bowls. Top each dessert with dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate curls and orange peel strips and serve immediately.

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.

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.

BASIL AND LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• In a pan, dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring it to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, and add the basil leaves. Mix and leave to cool.
• When it is cold, remove the basil leaves and discard them. Add the lime juice, including any fleshy bits, and mix.
• Pour into a large freezer proof container, and put into the freezer.
• Every 15 minutes, for 2 hours, take out of the freezer and mix it up. Then every half an hour until the granita appears grainy and the crystals have been broken down. It should resemble snow or coarse sand.
• Enjoy!

ORANGE-CAMPARI GRANITA WITH FRESH NECTARINES

Steps:

• Stir orange juice, Campari and 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Transfer to 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Place 6 dessert glasses or Martini glasses in freezer. Mix nectarines and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
• Using fork, scrape surface of granita to form crystals. Divide granita among frozen glasses. Top with nectarine mixture. Garnish with mint and serve immediately.