Grape-berry Granita

The other day, I bought a case of organic grapes from Whole Foods. I ended up with over 18 pounds of red and green seedless grapes. OH Boy! We love grapes in our house. My kids’ favorite summertime snack is frozen grapes. I just take them off the stem and freeze in a small cup. They are little orbs of juicy, frozen goodness.

I couldn’t freeze all the grapes and I wanted another frozen treat, so I opted for a granita. If you’ve never had one, think of a shaved ice or snow cone. A granita is generally made frozen fruit juice and then scraped to resemble shaved ice.

This recipe is a great summer time treat. It is made with whole fruit juice and no refined sugars. Whole cloves work really well with blueberries and add a great flavor to the ice. You can omit them if you don’t have any on hand. I like to serve my granita in martini glasses or other wide rimmed glasses. It just looks pretty. Be sure you serve the ice immediately.

This recipe calls for whole fruit to be cooked down and then strained. I like to use my remaining fruit solids. They make a great fruit syrup for yogurt, pancakes, waffles, toast, etc. There’s no sense in anything going to waste. After you’ve cooked down your fruit and strained out all the juice, puree the fruit in a blender or food processor. You can use it as is or cook it down into more of a syrup consistency. Add about 1/4 cup of water and place into a sauce pan. Cook until the fruit is reduced and is thicker, about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy this frozen summer time treat!

Grape Blueberry Granita

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Ingredients

Simple Syrup

• 3/4 cup honey & 1 cup water

Granita

• 1.5 pounds seedless red grapes
• 1 pint blueberries (about 11 ounces)
• 1 cup water
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup simple syrup

Instructions

SIMPLE SYRUP:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the honey and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the honey is fully integrated into the water. Remove from heat and cool.

BLUEBERRY GRAPE GRANITA:

1. Bring the grapes, blueberries, cloves, and water to boil in a large saucepan.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the grapes begin to break down.
3. Remove the pan from heat and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4. Transfer the mixture to a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Using a large spoon or ladle, press the grapes to express as much of the liquid as possible. Measure the liquid, there should be 4 cups. (Reserve the blueberry and grape solids for other uses.)
5. Combine the juice with the simple syrup and lemon juice and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

1. Pour the mixture into a shallow baking pan and place in the freezer. Freeze until set, at least 3 hours.
2. Using a fork, scrape the ice out of the pan and serve in frozen glasses or bowls immediately.