Wednesday, 20 April 2011

Sluttishly Easy: Sunshine Granita

The sun has well and truly got his hat on, and it looks like he's going to stay that way right over the bank holiday weekend. So there's really no excuse to sit around on the sofa, in your pants, scoffing hot cross buns. You should be out and about in the sunshine. With shades on. Eating a lovely bowl of this sweet and citrussy granita.


Granita sounds posh, but is in fact the simplest ice-cream-like substance known to woman. Easier than parfait. Easier than sorbet. Easy. Peasy.

You don't any electrical equipment (well, except the freezer). You don't even need an ice cream maker. Just a little patience, a fork and a timer to remind you that you need to stir it every now and then while it's freezing. You'll end up with a lovely flaky, sweet, icy treat that's perfect for cooling you down, pepping you up and generally tasting like the sunshine.

Sunshine Granita (makes about 1 litre)

You’ll need:
  • 700ml water
  • 200g icing sugar
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Juice of 1 pink grapefruit
Make it!
  • Stir together all the ingredients until the icing sugar dissolves.
  • Pour the mixture into a plastic tub and put it into the freezer.
  • After 30 to 40 minutes, stir with a fork, bringing the frozen ice around the edge of the tub into the centre.
  • Keep stirring every 30 minutes, until the granita is frozen. This will take a couple of hours, depending on the size of the tub (bigger = quicker).
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12 comments:

  1. Alexandra Sheppard20 April 2011 at 11:13

    This sounds lovely!

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  2. Sara20 April 2011 at 11:13

    Really? REALLY? That's it? I can totally do that! I'm making that tonight!

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  3. Last-Year Girl20 April 2011 at 11:26

    Wow! So simple, who knew... Can't wait to try this out!

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  4. Red20 April 2011 at 11:27

    How does it affect the freezing if you put a splash of alcohol in I wonder? Thinking this would taste lovely with a touch of gin.

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  5. Kate20 April 2011 at 13:01

    Sounds like the perfect revision recipe - timing myself in 40 minute chunks to get up and stir sounds ideal!

    How about if you put the booze on when you serve it, Red? That'd be nice.

    Ooh you could do lime and tequila - margherita granita!

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  6. Kate20 April 2011 at 13:02

    P.S. Does bigger really freeze quicker?

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  7. Sara20 April 2011 at 14:35

    I second Kate's query. Surely science makes small things freeze faster?

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  8. Sian Meades20 April 2011 at 14:42

    Surely it's more to do with the surface area of the tub? A smaller tub would pack in the granita and the middle would take longer to freeze?

    Tasty food science. I like it.

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  9. Food geek21 April 2011 at 11:56

    Hi,

    Y siany's right - given a set amount of liquid, a bigger container would freeze it quicker as it would be a thinner layer.

    Also in my slush-mug experience, adding booze means it won't freeze. Fill a glass with the granita and add a shot of your selected tipple over the top!

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  10. Sara21 April 2011 at 11:57

    Food geek: of course, I was thinking of a full big container vs a full small one. Top tip about the booze too!

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  11. Sian Meades21 April 2011 at 12:03

    Woot! I did science.

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  12. Anonymous21 April 2011 at 20:37

    Thanks so much for this! I had no idea granita was so easy.
    I didn't have the ingredients so I squashed some strawberries with lemonade and froze that :)
    It was yumms!

    Roxy

    ReplyDelete

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