Berry Granita Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and 3/4 cup water in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a 9-inch square glass baking dish, pressing hard on the solids with a spatula before discarding. Freeze the mixture, stirring and crushing up clumps of ice with a fork every hour, until it is frozen, but slushy, about 4 hours total. Spoon into glasses and garnish with the mint or basil leaves.

Steps:

• Combine the frozen berries, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Puree in a food processor and strain through a fine wire-mesh strainer, pressing the fruit with a wooden spoon to release the juices. Let cool. (Or place over an ice water bath to cool quickly.)
• Combine the syrup with the wine in a bowl. Pour into a 9-inch square metal pan. Freeze, scraping the mixture occasionally with a fork to create ice crystals, until firm, 4 to 6 hours. Spoon the granita into serving glasses and garnish with mint and fresh berries.

Steps:

• Rinse strawberries with cold water; let drain. Transfer berries to a blender and add sugar, water, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and salt.
• Pulse several times to get the mixture moving, then blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a large baking dish. Puree should only be about 3/8 inch deep in the dish.
• Place dish uncovered in the freezer until mixture barely begins to freeze around the edges, about 45 minutes. Mixture will still be slushy in the center.
• Lightly stir the crystals from the edge of the granita mixture into the center, using a fork, and mix thoroughly. Close freezer and chill until granita is nearly frozen, 30 to 40 more minutes. Mix lightly with a fork as before, scraping the crystals loose. Repeat freezing and stirring with the fork 3 to 4 times until the granita is light, crystals are separate, and granita looks dry and fluffy.
• Portion granita into small serving bowls to serve.

Steps:

• Remove lemon zest in 1- to 2-inch sections using a vegetable peeler, avoiding the bitter white pith. Squeeze and reserve 2 teaspoons of juice.
• Stir lemon zest, water, sugar, and mint together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Let cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove and discard lemon zest and mint.
• Process blueberries and raspberries in a food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl with chilled syrup; discard seeds. Stir in reserved lemon juice.
• Pour berry mixture into a 9x13-inch baking pan. Cover and freeze until edges are slushy, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir with a metal spoon, scraping frozen mixture off bottom and sides of pan. Cover and freeze, stirring every 30 minutes, until mixture is slushy, about 3 hours more. Cover and freeze until firm, 4 to 24 hours more.
• Let stand and soften slightly at room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes. Scrape surface of granita with a fork and spoon into chilled dessert dishes.

Steps:

• Blend the blueberries and sugar in a food processor until smooth; strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing with a wooden spoon to separate the blueberry puree from any chunks of skin or seeds.
• Stir the strained blueberry puree, water, and lemon juice together in a shallow glass baking dish or tray. Place the dish in the freezer; scrape and stir the blueberry mixture with a fork once an hour until evenly frozen and icy, about 4 hours. Scrape to fluff and lighten the ice crystals; spoon into chilled glasses to serve.

Steps:

• Stir first 3 ingredients in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Blend 3 cups strawberries in processor until smooth. Add sugar syrup and blend until combined.
• Pour mixture into 13x9x2-inch nonstick metal baking pan. Freeze until icy around edges, about 25 minutes. Using fork, stir icy portions into middle of pan. Freeze until mixture is frozen, stirring edges into center every 20 to 30 minutes, about 1 1/2 hours. Using fork, scrape granita into flaky crystals. Cover tightly and freeze. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.) Scrape granita into bowls. Garnish with berries and serve.