Hearty Tarty Hibiscus Granita Recipes

HIBISCUS GRANITA

Steps:

• Pour the iced tea into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. (The recipe can be made up to this point and kept frozen up to 3 days in advance.)
• When ready to serve, turn the ice cubes into a food processor fitted with a metal blade or a powerful blender. Pulse the machine until the granita has the texture of crushed ice.

RED APRICOT AND SPARKLING WINE GRANITA

Steps:

• Mix sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved completely, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, wash, pit, and mince apricots.
• Add the minced apricots to the sugar and water mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until the apricots have liquefied, stirring and mashing constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Pour Prosecco into the cooled apricot mixture; it will bubble and double in volume. Gently stir until fully incorporated and the bubbles have reduced slightly.
• Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container and cover. Freeze until mixture begins to solidify, 1 to 2 hours, depending on your freezer. Scrape down the sides and mix the granita using a fork. Repeat every 30 minutes until the granita has become course and grainy, about 6 hours. Do not shake the container instead of scraping it with a fork; it is the action of scraping that forms the characteristic crystals that make granita unique.
• Scrape the granita into 8 serving dishes using a large spoon. Top with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

CITRUS-GINGER GRANITA

Steps:

• Stir water, sugar, ginger, lemon zest, and lime zest together in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is bubbling, 5 to 10 minutes; cool slightly.
• Stir the ginger mixture an orange juice together in a pitcher; pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Place dish in the freezer; scrape and stir orange juice mixture with a fork once every hour until granita is evenly frozen and crystallized, about 6 hours.

HIBISCUS-MINT GRANITA

Steps:

• Method:
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Remove from the heat and steep the hibiscus flowers in the water for 5 to 7 minutes. Discard the hibiscus flowers. Add the sugar to the hot water and stir until melted. You may need to return it to the heat for a minute or two to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the lime juice and chopped mint leaves.
• Pour the liquid into a shallow bowl and place in the freezer. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours while mashing the large chunks of ice every 30 minutes or so.
• Assembly:
• Spoon the granita into chilled glasses and garnish with the whole mint leaves.

BLUEBERRY GRANITA

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.