Tropical Fruit Champagne Granita Food

TROPICAL GRANITA

Steps:

• Mix together all ingredients in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Freeze overnight (or at least 6 to 8 hours). With a fork, scrape frozen mixture until it reaches shaved ice consistency.
• Scoop into bowls and serve garnished with a sprig of mint.

CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and place in the refrigerator until cold, about 1 hour.
• Using the finest grater you have, lightly scrape the skin of 1 lemon, removing only the top surface of the peel. Squeeze out the juice and remove the seeds from both lemons.
• Open the Champagne or sparkling wine, and pour it into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch pan. Mix in the simple syrup, lemon juice, and grated zest. Place mixture into the freezer. Check after 30 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, break up any ice formed on the sides and stir into the rest of the liquid. Continue to freeze and repeat this procedure every hour for at least 3 hours. Before serving, fluff the granita by "chopping" up any clumps with the spoon or gently whisking the frozen mixture. Spoon into small glasses or cups and serve.

CHAMPAGNE CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Puree the cantaloupe in a blender until smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine the wine and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved; allow the bubbles time to settle. Add the pureed cantaloupe, the lime juice and the lime zest to the bowl. Stir well.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Freeze for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and, using a fork, scrape the granita into flakes. Freeze for another 2 to 3 hours.
• Serve the granita in martini glasses, garnished with a mint leaf.

TROPICAL FRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Stir juice and sugar in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Add rum, lime juice and vanilla. Pour mixture into shallow baking dish. Freeze until mixture is entirely crystallized, stirring frequently and scraping crystals from around edges, about 5 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.)
• Using tines of fork, scrape frozen juice mixture to form small flakes. Spoon granita into goblets and serve.

TROPICAL FRUIT CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and cool syrup.
• In a blender or food processor purée pineapple with 1/4 cup plus
• 2 tablespoons syrup (reserving remaining syrup for another use). Stir in nectar or juice and Champagne. Pineapple mixture may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Transfer pineapple mixture to a shallow metal baking pan and freeze, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every hour, until mixture is firm but not frozen hard, about 3 to 4 hours. Granita may be made 2 days ahead and frozen, covered. Just before serving, scrape granita with a fork to lighten texture.
• Scoop granita into serving bowls.