Granita
Source of Recipe
La Casa Sena, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Recipe Introduction
Granitas are intentionally made to have a grainy texture similar to shaved ice. This frozen fruit ice is a popular choice at La Casa Sena and may be served as an intermezzo (something eaten between courses to cleanse the palate), a dessert or even a cocktail! It's so easy to make, you'll be laughing as your guests are praising you. This recipe is for three different granitas; use a different juice for each one.
List of Ingredients
Simple Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
2 cups fresh watermelon juice, grapefruit juice or prickly pear cactus juice
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
juice of half a lime
4 sprigs of mint Recipe
To make the simple syrup, combine the sugar and the water in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear. Raise the heat and boil for 1 minute.
Combine the fruit juice, jalapeno, simple syrup and lime juice in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat to incorporate the simple syrup. Do not boil or reduce the sauce.
Pour the mixture into a shallow metal dish and place it in the freezer. Every hour, stir the mixture to cause ice crystals to form. After a few hours, the granita will form into a granular substance similar to shaved ice.
Serve the granita in chilled martini glasses with a sprig of mint. If you feel daring, splash a little tequila, vodka or champagne over it and serve it as a cocktail. Serves 4.
(Helpful hint: to juice a watermelon, place the "meat" of the melon in a medium-mesh strainer and force it through with a ladle or wooden spoon into a bowl.)
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