Granita is nothing more than a flavored liquid (in this case lemon) sweetened with sugar and frozen until crystallized. Understanding this makes it very easy to make any flavor granita that you desire. You can also use orange juice for granita; simply freeze it as is. Should you choose to flavor your granita with alcohol, don’t add it to the syrup—it will inhibit the freezing process. Instead, pour it over the granita just before you serve it. It will get slushy, but a good slush on a hot summer day might be just the right thing.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pour the water into a heavy medium saucepan. Stir in between 3/4 and 1 cup of sugar, depending on your preference. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, over medium heat. Lower the heat so the syrup is simmering, and cook 5 minutes.
Step 2
Pour the syrup into a heatproof bowl and cool to room temperature. (If you’d like to speed up the process, place the bowl of syrup into a larger bowl half full of ice, and stir the syrup until cool.)
Step 3
When cool, stir in the lemon zest and juice. Pour the lemon mixture into a 13 × 9–inch baking pan and set on a level shelf in the freezer. When ice crystals begin to form around the edges—from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your freezer—remove the pan from the freezer and stir the crystals into the liquid. Return the pan to the freezer and repeat, every time crystals form. The more of the liquid that turns to ice, the quicker the remaining liquid will freeze after the pan is returned to the freezer. Continue until all the liquid has turned to crystals. The granita is now ready to serve and should be served within a few hours.
Step 4
Whip the heavy cream, if using, until it holds soft peaks. Run a fork through the granita to break up any large crystals, and spoon the granita into tall glasses. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and/or a mint sprig. Serve immediately.
