Yields:
10 Servings
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 Mins
Cook Time:
5 Mins
Total Time:
15 Mins
Granita is probably my favourite frozen dessert. Granita is a semi-frozen dessert originally from Sicily. Instead of being smooth and creamy than gelato or sorbet, it has distinctly separated ice crystals. I like it much better than ice cream or sorbet because it is so light and refreshing. Also, this granita recipe is crazy easy to make!
This granita features a combination of sweet Thai basil and holy basil from my garden. Sweet Italian basil or lemon basil would be perfect choices as well. Unfortunately mine all died so I only had the other two. Combined with spearmint and calamansi, this granita is a bomb of freshness.
Now this granita recipe is really simple. But there are a couple of things to note.
- Make sure that your syrup solution cools down before mixing or the herbs will cook!
- If you forgot about your granite and it became chunky, just break up the chunks by stabbing and press down with a fork.
- I used calamansi, which is the little Asian lime. If you can’t find it, normal limes are fine.
- It is up to you if you want to add the herbs back into the mixture after straining. The herbs will give it a slightly stronger taste.
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
Instructions
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Boil 1 cup of water with the sugar over low heat just until the sugar dissolves. Pour this syrup solution into a steel mixing bowl to cool.
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Blend your fresh herbs with the rest of the water.
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Mix the blended fresh herbs with the calamansi juice and the cooled syrup solution.
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Pour the mixture through a strainer into a freezer-proof container with a cover. Smoosh the stuff in the strainer around and the bubbles will disappear.
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Once the bubbles are gone from the strainer, you can decide if you want to add the minced herbs into the granita or not.
- Cover and place in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape the surface of the mixture so that the mixture forms crystals instead of an ice block.
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When serving, just scrape scrape and spoon into a little cup or bowl.
