Vodka Watermelon And Basil Granita Heat Wave Treats Recipes

WATERMELON AND VODKA GRANITA

Steps:

• Roughly chop the watermelon, put it into a blender or food processor with the vodka and whizz until smooth (see tips). Strain into a deep tray, then freeze for 1 hour. Drag a fork through the granita to break up the ice crystals, then freeze for 45 minutes more. Drag the fork through again. Repeat after another 45 minutes or so until the ice has a rough, grainy texture.
• Meanwhile make the syrup. Dissolve the sugar in 80ml water in a pan on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until clear. Boil the syrup briskly, adding the zest and juice of the limes and grated ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes until just syrupy, then cool but don't put in the fridge. To serve, scoop the granita into glasses, drizzle over the syrup and scatter with the chopped mint.

VODKA WATERMELON AND BASIL GRANITA - HEAT WAVE TREATS

Steps:

• Combine everything together and blitz in the blender until smooth.
• Pour into one or two flat containers with a lid. Freeze for 1½-2 hours. Place your serving glasses in the freezer also.
• Scrape the granita with a fork to make nice ice crystals. Put back in the freezer and repeat after 30 minutes.
• Serve the granita in cold glasses with a fresh leaf of basil on top. It's really nice to eat this with fresh cut watermelon on the side. Enjoy!

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.

WATERMELON VODKA

Steps:

• Simply cut a hole in the top of the melon, wide and deep enough to insert a funnel. Pour some of your chosen alcohol into the melon through the funnel, leave to sit for a day and pour in some more. The flesh will absorb the liquid, so pour in some more the next day--basically until it becomes saturated. When ready to serve, slice up into nice big pieces and get all your mates plastered on it!;

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.

WATERMELON GRANITA

Steps:

• Cut about 1 pound watermelon into small chunks (discarding the rind), and freeze them. When they're frozen, put them in a blender with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and blend until the mixture liquefies. Pour the mixture into a shallow glass or ceramic pan, and freeze for about 2 hours, breaking up the ice crystals with a fork every 30 minutes or so. It should be slushy and crunchy.