Eat & Drink
Originally published on Tuesday, 11th August 2009
Grape Granita
Serves 6
In Canada, grape ice cream holds a unique place in the childhood memory bank. Technicolour purple and bizarrely delicious - it was my sister and my favourite flavour and we shamelessly polished off triple cones after our swimming lessons.
Grape granita is an equally beautiful (if rather more natural) thing and is best made with unsprayed wine grapes or other sweet grapes like Muscat or Concord.
For an extra note of flavour, add a small sprig of rosemary or thyme to the grapes when you cook them - it may sound odd but it adds a really lovely and delicate flavour to the granita.
Ingredients
500 grams purple grapes, rinsed
a sprig of rosemary or thyme (optional)
150 grams of sugar
650 mls water
Instructions
Place the grapes (and herbs if using) in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 25 minutes or until the grapes are very soft. Pour the grapes into a fine mesh colander with a bowl underneath to catch the water. Press down hard on the grapes with a spoon to force any pulp and juice from the grapes through the colander into the pot and set aside to cool.
Stir the sugar into the grape liquid and taste. Add more sugar until the desired level of sweetness is reached, then place the pot back on the stove and bring to a simmer. Stir frequently for 5 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and leave the mixture to cool.
Pour the mixture into a wide, shallow plastic container and place in the freezer. When the mixture begins to freeze (this will depend on your freezer and the how cool the grape mixture is when you place it in the freezer) take a fork and scrape it through the granita to fluff up the ice crystals as they form. Continue to do this every 20 minutes until the mixture has completely frozen.
Divide the granita between glasses and serve immediately.
Jennifer Klinec from Eat Drink Talk has kindly agreed to provide Urban Junkies readers with mouthwatering recipes and foodtips.
To learn more, classes at Eat Drink Talk are held in Jennifer's beautiful loft in Clerkenwell, packed with information and useful tips, and you'll get to sample all of the delicious dishes prepared during class.
In collaboration with Eat Drink Talk