Wine Granitas Recipes

RED WINE GRANITA

Steps:

• Place a 9" x 13" metal baking pan in the freezer for 2 hours to pre-chill. Dissolve honey in water in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Combine honey mixture and wine in baking pan and return it to the freezer. Freeze, stirring and scraping frozen parts every 30 minutes to create ice crystals. You want a slushy, snow cone texture, not a solid freeze. Spoon into dessert cups.

RED WINE GRANITA

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.

MULLED WINE GRANITA

Steps:

• Bring the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice and peppercorns to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cook 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand 15 minutes. Strain the mulled wine into an 8-inch-square baking dish and freeze until hard, about 5 hours. Scrape with a fork and divide among glasses. Serve with whipped cream.

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.