Great Big Fortune Cookies With Pomegranate Granita Recipes

LEMON VODKA GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the lemon zest and juice, syrup and vodka and transfer to a metal 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Freeze for 4 hours.
• Remove baking pan from freezer and scrape surface with a spatula or fork to create large crystals. Transfer crystals to wine goblets and garnish with fresh berries and toasted almonds.
• Bring water and sugar to a boil and boil until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature and transfer to a jar. Store in a cool pantry or refrigerate.

ALMOND GRANITA

Steps:

• In a blender, combine all ingredients and process to a puree. Strain into a stainless steel pan and freeze.
• To serve: scrape ice with fork and spoon and place about 4 ounces in a serving glass. Serve immediately.
• In a stockpot, bring milk to a slow boil. Stir in almond meal and whole almonds. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pan, and allow to infuse for 20 minutes.
• Uncover, and using an immersion blender, process to puree whole almonds. Strain through a fine strainer lined with a dampened cheesecloth. Stir in flavoring and sugar. Chill over bowl of ice.
• Yield: 2 quarts

POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the 2 juices and season with sugar, to taste. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Carefully place in freezer and freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Use a fork to scrape into large crystals and spoon granita into chilled glasses. Serve immediately.

LEMON-BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar with 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature.
• Add the basil to the sugar syrup and muddle the leaves with the base of a wooden spoon. Let steep for 1 hour. Strain the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish (discard the basil). Stir in the lemon juice and vodka, if using. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 2 hours. Scrape with a fork to form small crystals in the ice every 30 minutes to an hour until the mixture is fully frozen, about 1 hour more.
• Serve the granita in chilled glasses, garnished with the small basil leaves.

FORTUNE COOKIES

Steps:

• Cut a stencil out of a plastic coffee can lid in the shape of a 3-inch disk. Whip the egg whites until stiff and chill. In a mixer, cream the butter, then add the sugar and continue mixing. Add the flour and blend in, then add the vanilla and blend again. Add the chilled egg whites and mix on low until well incorporated and the batter is smooth. With a small offset spatula, spread batter through the stencil so it is a circle onto a silpat or parchment paper, about 6 per cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until light golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Quickly remove the pan from the oven and one at time place a fortune across the center with a bit hanging out. Fold cookie circle in thirds over fortune with flaps only slightly overlapping each other. Turn over and bring opposing sides together and pinch. Let cool.

THE FORTUNE TELLER

Steps:

• In a metal cocktail shaker, muddle the sugar cube, strawberry and peppercorns well. Be sure to crack the peppercorns. Add the gin, Pomegranate, Tawny Port and Balsamic Reduction, vermouth and cracked ice into the shaker. Top, seal and shake vigorously. Double strain up into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the olives on a bar toothpick.
• Pour the tawny port, pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar into a small skillet on medium heat until reduced by little less than half. Take off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before incorporating into a cocktail.

POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Steps:

• Slice off the top and bottom of the pomegranates, then break them apart and remove the seeds. With your hands, squeeze all of the juice out of the seeds, then push the mixture through a sieve, pressing down gently to extract as much juice as possible without pushing the bitter skins through.
• Discard the seeds. In a large shallow glass baking dish that will fit in your freezer, combine the juice with the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved (place the pan over a very low flame if desired to speed the dissolving of the sugar). Freeze for 4 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Scrape the surface of the ice with a spoon into large flaky crystals.
• Refreeze if desired. The granita should be served as a chunky ice, not a smooth sorbet.

POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Steps:

• Place the ice, Cointreau, rum, and pomegranate syrup into a blender, blend until smooth. Moisten the rim of a tumbler with the cut edge of the orange slice, and dip the glass into the sugar to line the rim. Pour the granita into the glass, and garnish with the orange slice to serve.

POMEGRANATE AND ROSE GRANITA

Steps:

• Add sugar and 7 tablespoons/100 milliliters water to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Stir continuously, until sugar has dissolved and the liquid comes to the boil.
• Add mint, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain the syrup into a large bowl, pressing on the mint to extract the water. Discard the mint.
• Whisk the pomegranate juice and rose water into the syrup until combined. Pour into a container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until clumps form and the edges are solid. (The shallower the container, the shorter the freezing time.) Use a fork to separate the crystals and freeze for another 2 hours. Repeat with the fork again, scraping the tines across the frozen mixture, and continue this process until the liquid has frozen into separate crystals throughout, about 8 to 10 hours total.
• Just before serving, divide the granita between small glasses and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and rose petals.

HOMEMADE FORTUNE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Write fortunes on small strips of paper (3-1/2x1/4-in.); set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a pencil, draw two 3-1/2-in. circles on a sheet of parchment. Place paper, pencil mark down, on a baking sheet; set aside., In a small bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg white and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Spread 1 tablespoon batter over each circle. Bake 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned., Slide parchment onto a work surface. Cover one cookie with a kitchen towel. Place a fortune in the center of the other cookie; loosen cookie from parchment with a thin spatula. Fold cookie in half over fortune strip so the edges meet; hold edges together for 3 seconds., Place center of cookie over the rim of a glass; gently press ends down to bend cookie in middle. Cool 1 minute before removing to a wire rack. Repeat with second cookie. If cookies become too cool to fold, return to oven to soften for 1 minute. Repeat with remaining batter and fortunes.