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.

SIMPLE FRUIT JUICE GRANITA

Steps:

• Mix sugar and water together in a glass, microwave-safe, 8x8-inch dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Mix with a fork until all sugar is dissolved. Stir in juice.
• Freeze for 1 hour. Scrape mixture with a fork. Return to the freezer in increments of 30 minutes, scraping with a fork to create small granules after each one. The granita is ready when it resembles icy sand, about 3 hours total.

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.

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.

FRUIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a deep-sided metal pan, and place in freezer, uncovered, until it is nearly set, at least 4 hours, whisking mixture every hour.
• Remove mixture from freezer, and scrape surface with the tines of a fork until it is the texture of shaved ice. (Mixture can be frozen overnight without whisking; remove from freezer in the morning, and let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes to allow it to slightly soften before scraping with a fork.) Serve.

CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Combine sugar and 2 1/2 cups water in medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to a large bowl set over the ice bath, and cool completely.
• Add champagne to sugar, and stir to combine. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch pan, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Stir with tines of a fork, scraping up icy parts. Return to freezer, and stir every 20 minutes until mixture is frozen and texture is similar to shaved ice. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

TROPICAL CITRUS GRANITA

Steps:

• Stir together the orange juice, mango punch and water. Pour into large shallow glass baking dish.
• In small saucepan (or a small microwave bowl) heat water with sugar until dissolved. Whisk together with coconut water and coconut cream. Pour into shallow glass baking dish.
• Place both dishes in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove from freezer, scrape edges and mix with a fork. Return to freezer, scraping every hour until no liquid remains, 6-7 hours total. Layer fruit granita on bottom of glass, followed by coconut mixture, and another layer of fruit granita on top. Garnish with tropical fruit.