Pomegranate Grapefruit Granita Food

SPARKLING GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch rectangular (non-metal) baking dish. Stir in the grapefruit juice, Champagne, and fleur de sel.
• 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. Continue to rake the granita every 30 minutes, until it's firm and granular. This might take as long as 3 hours. Serve frozen in pretty bowls or stemmed glasses.

GREAT BIG FORTUNE COOKIES WITH POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Steps:

• To make the Granita: In a bowl whisk the liquids together. Take off 1/2 cup of the liquid, add the sponged gelatin and warm it to melt the gelatin. Combine all the liquids and pour into an 8 by 8-inch pan. Freeze overnight. Scrape the next day into a freezer container.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the Fortune Cookie: Cut a stencil out of a plastic coffee can lid in the shape of a 6-inch disk.
• Whip the egg whites until stiff and chill.
• In a mixer, cream the butter; then add the sugar and continue mixing. Add the flour and blend in; then add the vanilla and blend again. Add the chilled egg whites and mix on low until well incorporated and the batter is smooth.
• With a small offset spatula, spread batter through the stencil onto a silicone baking mat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, about 4 per cookie sheet. Bake until light golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Quickly remove the pan from the oven and 1 at a time place a fortune across the center with a bit hanging out. Fold cookie circle in half over fortune; then in half again with flaps only slightly overlapping each other, bringing the opposing sides together and pinch. Let cool. Serve next to a frozen bowl of granita.

POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Steps:

• Slice off the top and bottom of the pomegranates, then break them apart and remove the seeds. With your hands, squeeze all of the juice out of the seeds, then push the mixture through a sieve, pressing down gently to extract as much juice as possible without pushing the bitter skins through.
• Discard the seeds. In a large shallow glass baking dish that will fit in your freezer, combine the juice with the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved (place the pan over a very low flame if desired to speed the dissolving of the sugar). Freeze for 4 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Scrape the surface of the ice with a spoon into large flaky crystals.
• Refreeze if desired. The granita should be served as a chunky ice, not a smooth sorbet.

GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine juice, water and sugar in bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Pour liquid into a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Freeze until hard, about 3 to 4 hours.
• To serve, scrape with a fork and spoon the scrapings into small chilled martini glasses or small glass bowls. Garnish with small sprigs of fresh mint.

POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the 2 juices and season with sugar, to taste. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Carefully place in freezer and freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Use a fork to scrape into large crystals and spoon granita into chilled glasses. Serve immediately.

GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the grapefruit juice, vodka and Simple Syrup in a bowl, then pour into a freezer-safe glass baking dish and pop in the freezer. Scrape with a fork every half hour until partially frozen and granular, about 3 hours. Serve in martini glasses and garnish with lemon zest. Eat with a spoon or a straw.
• Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Keep covered in the refrigerator up to 1 month.

RUBY GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Halve the grapefruits crosswise, and squeeze juice into a large wide bowl, allowing any pulp to fall in. Use a teaspoon to pluck out any seed or pith in the bowl.
• Whisk in sugar until completely dissolved. Pour mixture into a low baking dish to a depth of 1/2-inch. (A 9-by-13-inch baking dish will work.) Place the dish in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight, until frozen solid. The frozen mixture will look like packed snow.
• Use a fork to smash the frozen mixture into rough chunks and transfer to 6 serving glasses. Place glasses in the freezer until serving time. If desired, add 1/2 teaspoon orange flower water per glass.

POMEGRANATE AND ROSE GRANITA

Steps:

• Add sugar and 7 tablespoons/100 milliliters water to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Stir continuously, until sugar has dissolved and the liquid comes to the boil.
• Add mint, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain the syrup into a large bowl, pressing on the mint to extract the water. Discard the mint.
• Whisk the pomegranate juice and rose water into the syrup until combined. Pour into a container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until clumps form and the edges are solid. (The shallower the container, the shorter the freezing time.) Use a fork to separate the crystals and freeze for another 2 hours. Repeat with the fork again, scraping the tines across the frozen mixture, and continue this process until the liquid has frozen into separate crystals throughout, about 8 to 10 hours total.
• Just before serving, divide the granita between small glasses and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and rose petals.

POMEGRANATE-GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice, sugar and rose water. Use a whisk and stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Pour the mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan or an 8-inch square baking pan if the recipe has been cut in half. Cover with plastic wrap.
• Place in freezer and freeze at least a minimum of 6-8 hours or overnight.
• To serve: scrape a large spoon across the surface of the granita to create large ice crystals.
• Spoon granita into chilled glasses. Tip: I chill the glasses in the freezer to obtain that "frosted" effect.
• If desired, garnish each serving with a fresh mint leaf or fresh lemon verbena leaf.
• Prep time includes passive time to allow the mixture to freeze.