Cherry Merlot Granita Recipes

Steps:

• In a blender, puree cherries, sugar, and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish. Freeze 6 hours, scraping with a fork every hour (mixture should be icy and fluffy).
• To serve, pour 1 tablespoon liqueur into each of 12 small bowls or glasses. Top with 1/2 cup granita and a small dollop of whipped cream, if desired. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Set a colander over a bowl, and drain cherries, reserving all the liquid.
• Place cherries in a food processor or in a blender, and puree. Pass the puree through a fine sieve, set over a medium bowl. Using the back of a spoon, press cherries to extract the juice. If any solids remain in juice, pass juice through the sieve again. Discard pulp left in the sieve.
• Add reserved liquid from step one and vinegar to the strained juice.
• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar with 2/3 cup water; cook over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, and let stand until cool.
• Add cooled syrup to juice mixture, and stir until combined. Pour this new mixture into a shallow metal pan large enough to hold the liquid; place in freezer until ice crystals begin to form around edges, about 1 hour. Using a fork, stir the ice crystals into the center; return to the freezer. Stir ice crystals once an hour until all the liquid has frozen and has a grainy consistency, about 5 hours. Serve, or store in the freezer, covered, up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Wash the cherries, then drain and pit them into a bowl, keeping all the juice.
• Place the cherries and their juice in a food processor or in a blender and purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve, set over a saucepan, and throw away the pulp.
• Measure the cherries and add enough water to bring the total amount of fruit and water up to three cups. This should be about 2/3 cup water.
• Put the cherries and water in the saucepan over a medium heat, along with the sugar and the ginger.
• Cook until the sugar has dissolved, then take the pot off the heat and cool.
• Run through a sieve again, if you feel it is necessary.
• Pour into a shallow dish and freeze, stirring about once every hour, bringing ice crystals from the edge into the centre.
• It will take about 5 hours to freeze completely.
• Serve, or store in the freezer, covered, up to 2 days. You may have to take it out of the freezer for a few minutes before serving.