Sparkling 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.

PINK GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Reduce the heat to low, add the mint leaves and lime zest, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, cover, and allow the syrup to steep and cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Strain the syrup into a small bowl using a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the mint and lime. Set aside.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Juice enough grapefruit to produce 2 cups of juice. You can leave any pulp or strain it out if you prefer.
• Pour the grapefruit juice into a medium bowl, add 3/4 cup of the mint-lime syrup. Stir well, taste, and add more syrup to make it sweeter, if desired. If you'd like a milder flavor, stir in 1/4 cup of water, taste again, and add more if needed. This is your opportunity to perfect the granita's flavor, but make the liquid a little bold because it mellows a bit in the freezer.
• Transfer the mixture to an 8- or 9-inch square metal baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 1 hour.
• Use a fork to scrape the frozen parts of the granita and mix it with portions that are still liquid. Repeat this process every hour until the granita is completely frozen. This may take 4 to 5 hours, or longer. The granita should have a flaky snow-like ice texture.
• When ready to serve, fork the granita one last time to make it fluffy, then spoon it into frozen dessert cups, small bowls, or stemware. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and serve immediately.

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.

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.

PINK GRAPEFRUIT, STRAWBERRY, AND CHAMPAGNE GRANITA WITH SUGARED STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Stir 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water in large saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Cool. Puree 1 cup strawberries in processor. Whisk 1/2 cup puree into sugar syrup. Mix in grapefruit juice, then Champagne. Pour mixture into 8-inch square metal baking pan. Freeze mixture until firm, stirring every 2 hours, about 6 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep frozen.)
• Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar and lemon peel in pie plate. Spread 1/2 teaspoon mascarpone around pointed tip half of each whole strawberry. Dip in lemon sugar to coat mascarpone.
• Moisten rims of 6 Martini glasses with water; dip rims into remaining lemon sugar. Scrape fork across surface of granita to form ice shavings. Mound granita in glasses. Garnish with sugared berries and serve immediately.
• *Available at Italian markets and some supermarkets.

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.