Champagne Ice Recipes

STRAWBERRY AND CHAMPAGNE ICE

Steps:

• Stir 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; cool syrup completely.
• Purée 3 cups strawberries in blender just until smooth. Strain puree through fine strainer.
• Transfer sugar syrup and 1 1/2 cups strawberry purée to large bowl (reserve any remaining strawberry purée for another use). Stir in corn syrup, lemon juice and vanilla. Refrigerate mixture until cold, about 2 hours.
• Stir Champagne into strawberry mixture. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer strawberry ice to container; freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep strawberry ice frozen. Cover and chill remaining strawberries.)
• Toss remaining 2 1/4 cups strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Let stand until juices form, about 1 hour. Divide strawberries among 6 dessert cups. Top each serving with 1 scoop strawberry ice. Garnish with mint.

CHAMPAGNE ICE

Steps:

• Mix together all the ingredients until well combined.
• Transfer mixture to the freezer can of a 1-gallon electic ice cream freezer.
• Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
• Ripen for 1 hour.

SPARKLING WINE ICE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate if possible.
• Using the finest grater you have, lightly scrape the skin of 1 lemon, removing only the top surface of the peel. Squeeze the juice and remove the seeds from both lemons.
• Open the champagne or sparkling wine, and pour it into a 9 x 12 x 2-inch pan, or a container of equivalent volume. Mix in sugar water, lemon juice, and grated zest. Place mixture into the freezer. Check after 30 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, break up any ice formed on the sides and stir into the rest of the liquid. Continue to freeze and repeat this procedure every hour for at least 3 hours. The mixture will begin to take on a slushy consistency and eventually form into a sorbet or granizado of small ice crystals. Before serving, fluff the granizado by "chopping" up any clumps with the spoon or gently whisking the frozen mixture. Spoon into small glasses or cups and serve.
• Author Marina Chang's tips:
• Although this can be made in an ice-cream maker, one is not needed to make this wine-based ice. The alcohol in the sparkling wine acts as an antifreeze that prevents the liquid from freezing solid. A few stirs every hour is sufficient to obtain the fine ice crystal consistency.
• If you prefer a more lemony flavor, add grated zest from both lemons, instead of one.