Mojito Granita Recipes

MOJITO GRANITA

Steps:

• Pour the water into a bowl, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Leave to cool, then add the lime juice, zest, rum, Angostura bitters and mint. Pour the mixture into a chilled baking dish and place it in the freezer. After 30 minutes, take the dish out and use a fork to pull any crystals away from the sides of the container. Put it back in the freezer and keep checking it every 30 minutes, forking through and breaking up any crystals. Repeat until you have a container of fluffy crystals. This will take 4-5 hours. If not serving the granita straight away, scrape it into a plastic container with a lid and store it in the freezer. Remove 20 minutes before serving and garnish with a wedge of lime on the side. Another serving idea is to hollow out the flesh from some of the lime halves and serve the granita in those.

MARGARITA GRANITA

Steps:

• Stir the water and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Pour into medium bowl. Stir in the lime juice, agave nectar, tequila and lime peel. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Transfer the mixture to a container; cover and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead and kept frozen.)
• Freeze 4 margarita glasses for 1 hour. Scrape the granita into the frozen glasses and serve immediately.

PINEAPPLE MOJITO GRANITA

Steps:

• In 12-inch skillet, cook pineapple over high heat 2 to 3 minutes or until edges turn golden brown and sugars begin to caramelize.
• Place pineapple in food processor or blender. Add lime juice and honey; process 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into ungreased 9-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. Stir in mint leaves. Cover; freeze 30 minutes.
• With fork, scrape mixture to distribute ice crystals evenly. Freeze 30 minutes longer.
• Scrape mixture again. Scoop into dessert dishes or cups. Serve immediately.

WATERMELON MOJITO GRANITA

Steps:

• Remove rind from watermelon; dice into large cubes. Add watermelon, water, sugar, and mint leaves to an electric blender. Blend until pureed.
• Pour in rum and give it a couple of stirs to incorporate. Pour mixture into a 9x12-inch pan and place in the freezer for 4 hours. Scrape the mixture with a fork every 1 to 2 hours. It will not freeze completely due to the rum.
• Serve in a shallow bowl or a nice glass.

MOJITO GRANITA

Steps:

• Add the water and sugar to a small, nonreactive saucepan, then grate the zest from the 2 limes directly into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Reserve 5 of the mint leaves, add the remaining mint to the saucepan, and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 8 minutes, then remove the cover and let cool to room temperature.
• Once cool, strain the mixture into the container you plan to freeze the granita in, pressing firmly on the leaves to extract all the flavorful liquid. Discard the mint leaves. Stir in the lime juice and rum, then finely chop the reserved 5 mint leaves and add them as well. Freeze according to the instructions for freezing granita on page 145.
• Perfect Pairing
• If you love the refreshing taste of mint as much as I do, pair this with a scoop of Fresh Mint Ice Cream (page 99).