Champagne Granita Recipes

WATERMELON GRANITA WITH CHAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Place cubed watermelon and sugar in the pitcher of a blender. Blend for 1 minute. Stir in the champagne. Pour the watermelon mixture into a plastic container, cover and place in the freezer. Stir the mixture with a fork every 30 minutes until frozen, about 2 hours.
• Before serving, remove the frozen granita from the freezer and stir well using a fork or place in the food processor and process until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve in tall glasses garnished with sliced watermelon.

3-INGREDIENT BLUEBERRY CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• Bring sugar, 1 cup blueberries, and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan; cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Transfer blueberry syrup to a medium bowl set inside an ice bath and let cool.
• Purée syrup and remaining blueberries in a food processor until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a 13x9" (or other 3-qt.) freezer-safe baking dish, pressing on solids to extract as much juice as possible; discard solids.
• Pour sparkling wine into baking dish and stir to combine. Freeze mixture until just beginning to crystallize, about 2 hours. Scrape with a fork, then continue to freeze, scraping every hour, until texture is similar to shaved ice, 3-4 hours more. Cover with plastic wrap and keep frozen until ready to serve.
• Do Ahead
• Granita can be made 5 days ahead; keep frozen.

CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Combine sugar and 2 1/2 cups water in medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to a large bowl set over the ice bath, and cool completely.
• Add champagne to sugar, and stir to combine. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch pan, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Stir with tines of a fork, scraping up icy parts. Return to freezer, and stir every 20 minutes until mixture is frozen and texture is similar to shaved ice. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until sugar dissolves and the foaming just starts to subside (some foaming will help the granita stay light and airy as it freezes).
• Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
• Freeze on the floor of the freezer for about 2 hours, stirring with a fork every 20 minutes.
• When the granita is frozen but soft, smooth out the crystals and cover the pan with plastic wrap.
• Tightly sealed, the granita can stay in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
• Serve by scraping up the ice crystals with a fork and mounding them in cups, bowls, or glasses.

ORANGE CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• Place a 9 x 13-inch metal baking dish in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• Combine the orange juice and champagne in a large bowl. Stir the sugar syrup into the orange mixture, and pour the mixture into the chilled pan. Place the pan in the freezer and chill until ice crystals form around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the freezer and stir the mixture with a fork to incorporate the ice crystals. Continue freezing and stirring every 30 minutes until all the liquid is frozen, about 2 hours.

CHAMPAGNE CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Puree the cantaloupe in a blender until smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine the wine and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved; allow the bubbles time to settle. Add the pureed cantaloupe, the lime juice and the lime zest to the bowl. Stir well.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Freeze for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and, using a fork, scrape the granita into flakes. Freeze for another 2 to 3 hours.
• Serve the granita in martini glasses, garnished with a mint leaf.

TROPICAL FRUIT CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Steps:

• In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and cool syrup.
• In a blender or food processor purée pineapple with 1/4 cup plus
• 2 tablespoons syrup (reserving remaining syrup for another use). Stir in nectar or juice and Champagne. Pineapple mixture may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Transfer pineapple mixture to a shallow metal baking pan and freeze, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every hour, until mixture is firm but not frozen hard, about 3 to 4 hours. Granita may be made 2 days ahead and frozen, covered. Just before serving, scrape granita with a fork to lighten texture.
• Scoop granita into serving bowls.

CHAMPAGNE-AND-ORANGE GRANITA COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Combine orange juice and sugar, and stir until sugar dissolves. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish. Freeze, scraping around sides and breaking any lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, until evenly frozen, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Cover with plastic wrap. Granita can be made 1 day ahead and kept in freezer until ready to serve.
• Spoon 1/2 cup granita into each of 12 glasses, and add 1/2 teaspoon liqueur. Top off with Champagne.

CHAMPAGNE-CASSIS GRANITA

Steps:

• In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the Champagne. Stir in the crème de cassis. Freeze according to the instructions for freezing granita on page 145.
• Although Champagne-Cassis Granita is delicious just as it is, a scoop of Raspberry-Champágne Sorbet (page 132) at the bottom of the glass is an elegant touch.