Looking for a cool, refreshing dessert option? This rosé wine granita fills the bill! Even though this requires no oven ice cream, sorbet, and their cousins are usually part of the expertise of a pastry chef. Granita takes 5 minutes to mix together and only a few minutes of attention every once in a while to produce a delicious, icy treat for the heat of summer.
The Recipe
by volume by weight
1 cup rosé wine 236 grams rosé wine
1/4 cup sugar 50 grams sugar
juice 1/2 lemon 14 grams lemon juice
1/2 cup water 118 grams water
Directions
Place the wine and water in a bowl.
Gradually add the sugar while stirring.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Pour the mixture into a shallow pan so that the liquid is no more than 1/2″ deep.
Place the pan in the freezer for 1/2 hour. Depending on your freezer, slush will begin to form.
Use a fork to scrape the ice and return to the freezer. Check the pan in another 1/2 hour. Stir again and return to the freezer.
Continue to stir and scrape until the mixture is completely frozen and looks like shaved ice. (It may already be at this point depending on your freezer!) Keep the granita in the freezer until ready to serve. Be sure to serve the granita in chilled dishes as it will melt quickly.
Alternatives
Wine granita is very adaptable as well as being simple to produce and store. You can use any type of wine. The most important thing to remember is that alcohol will not freeze by itself. (Remember that bottle of vodka in the freezer?) You must add enough water and sugar to make it freeze. This recipe can be used as a guideline. If you want the granita a bit sweeter you can add more sugar or you can use a bit less if you find it too sweet. Just keep in mind that about 1/5 of the mixture should be water and 4/5 should be wine. This will ensure that the mixture will freeze properly.
You can also make granita without any alcohol. Fruit juice will make great granita if you prefer a non-alcoholic version. It is not necessary to worry about freezing since there is not alcohol in the mix but you will find that this ratio of wine, sugar, and water will work well for proper flavor balance as well.
Granita can also be made as a palate cleanser rather than a dessert. Cucumber and lime are nice options. Very little to no sugar can be used depending on the flavor you desire.
