Pear Granita Food

ASIAN PEAR AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD WITH _SAKE_ GRANITA AND PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 water, sugar, corn syrup, and pinch of salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pear pieces and simmer until pears are very tender, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to processor and puree until smooth. Chill pear mixture until cold, about 2 hours.
• Process pear mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer pear sorbet to freezer container; cover and freeze until firm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.
• Pour sake into 8x8x2-inch glass dish. Spoon 2 tablespoons water into heatproof custard cup or small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Pour enough water into small skillet to come 1 inch up sides; bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low. Place cup with gelatin mixture in hot water in skillet. Stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is fluid, about 1 minute. Remove cup with gelatin mixture from skillet. Pour gelatin mixture into sake and stir to blend well. Freeze sake mixture until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Combine 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool simple syrup until just warm to touch, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut off peel and white pith from all grapefruit. Working over bowl to catch juices and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl. Quarter and core Asian pears, then cut lengthwise into very thin slices. Add to bowl with grapefruit.
• Pour warm simple syrup over fruit. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Compote can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
• Arrange 1 layer of pear slices in each of 6 cocktail glasses. Top each with 1 layer of grapefruit segments. Spoon 2 tablespoons syrup from fruit mixture over. Scrape fork all over sake granita to form crystals. Place large spoonful of granita atop fruit in each glass. Top each with 1 more layer of pear slices, then layer of grapefruit segments and scoop of pear sorbet. Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired, and serve.

PEAR AND CRANBERRY GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine pears and honey in processor; puree until smooth. Pour reserved pear juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough cranberry juice to pear juices to measure 2 cups. Add juice mixture to processor and process until well blended. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, at least 5 hours or overnight. Using fork, scrape surface of granita to form crystals. Divide granita among 6 dessert glasses. Garnish with cranberries and mint sprigs, if desired.

PEAR GRANITA

Steps:

• Quarter the pears, peel them, and remove the cores. Dice the pears into 1-inch (3-cm) pieces. Put them in a medium-sized, nonreactive saucepan with the water and sugar and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until completely soft, about 8 minutes. A knife inserted into a pear chunk should meet no resistance.
• Cool to room temperature, then purée the pears and their liquid in a blender or food processor until smooth. Freeze according to the instructions for freezing granita on page 145.
• Serve Pear Granita with Chocolate Sorbet (page 120) or Chocolate Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style (page 28).

PORT-AND-SPICE POACHED PEARS WITH GRANITA

Steps:

• Peel pears, leaving stems intact. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit inside a wide 4-quart heavy pot.
• Bring grape juice, Port, sugar, spices, and 1 cup water to a boil in pot over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, arranging them on their sides in 1 layer (pears will not be covered by liquid). Cover pears directly with round of parchment. Reduce heat to low and poach pears, turning occasionally, until just tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let pears steep in liquid, covered with parchment, turning occasionally, at least 2 hours and up to 3.
• Carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a shallow dish, reserving poaching liquid. Let pears stand at room temperature or chill, covered with parchment.
• Pour poaching liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (discard spices) and return to pot. Boil, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup water. Pour liquid into an 8- to 9-inch square baking pan (not nonstick).
• Freeze liquid 1 1/2 hours, then scrape and stir with a fork, crushing any lumps. Repeat, scraping every hour until evenly frozen, about 4 hours more.
• Bring chilled pears to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes.
• Cut a thin slice from bottom of each pear, then stand pears upright on chilled plates. Scrape granita, then serve pears with granita and créme fraîche.

PEACH GRANITA

Steps:

• Puree peaches, water, sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a blender; add more sugar to taste. Transfer to an 8-inch-square baking dish. Freeze for 2 1/2 hours, scraping with a fork every hour (mixture should be icy and fluffy). Stir in basil.

PEAR AND CRANBERRY GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine pears and honey in processor; puree until smooth.
• Pour reserved pear juices into 2 cup measuring cup.
• Add enough cranberry juice to pear juices to measure 2 cups.
• Add juice mixture to processor and process until well blended.
• Transer to 13x9x2" glass baking dish.
• Freeze until frozen, at least 5 hours or overnight.
• Using fork, scrape surace of granita to form crystals.
• Divide among 6 dessert glasses.
• Garnish with cranberries and mint sprigs, if desired.

EASY RED-WINE AND PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring wine, 1 1/4 cups water, and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Add pears; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt; cool completely. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours (or overnight).
• With a fork, break frozen mixture into large pieces. In 2 batches, puree in a food processor until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until ready to serve (sorbet will be soft).

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.