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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
cherry granita
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| The first of the season’s bing cherries hit the market last week and—BINGO—a recipe for cherry granita appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle the same day. I tinkered with the original by adding a little almond extract and I have to say, it’s so outstanding it may replace cherry pie as the only reason to ever bother pitting cherries. If you’ve never made granita before, it’s a whole lot easier than ice cream or sorbet since no ice cream machine is needed. |
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serves 8 to 10
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prep time: 25 minutes, plus 1 hour standing
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freeze time: several hours
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2 pounds sweet cherries, preferably Bing
1/4 cup sugar
grated zest and juice of 1/2 large orange
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
pinch salt
1 cup water
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Pit the cherries; if you have a cherry pitter, be sure to do this in a large bowl set in the sink or your shirt and your counter will be covered in cherry juice. If you don’t have a pitter, use a paring knife to cut the cherries in half and pull out the pits. Combine the cherries with the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, almond extract, and salt in the large bowl. Stir well, then set aside for 1 hour to macerate.
While the cherries stand, clear a place in your freezer to fit the dish you are going to freeze this in, such as a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Put the macerated cherry mixture and water in a blender and puree. Pour into a flat, shallow, freezer-safe container (such as a glass 9x13-inch baking or storage dish) that is large enough so the mixture is not more than one inch deep. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the freezer. When the mixture begins to get icy (about 1 hour), stir, breaking up the ice crystals with a fork. Return to the freezer. Repeat this step two more times, then let mixture freeze solid for at least 3 hours or up to a day. Once frozen, scrape the surface of the mixture with the tines of a fork to create ice crystals. Scoop up the crystals and serve in a glass, cup or mug. Granita will keep in a sealed container in freezer for about 5 days.
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