This summer, it’s all about berries! I managed to salvage enough of the strawberries I picked to make fresh red berry granita. Granita is an easy way to make a frozen treat in the summertime: all you need is fresh berries, simple syrup and a good freezer! It really has a great intense berry flavor, and you can easily play around with additional flavors to complement the fruit. I love the subtle tones of the basil leaves in this particular recipe I’ve developed, but it’s also delicious with a little sweet balsamic vinegar, or some fresh mint.
I love these recipes that you can make in advance, that can be made with very little ingredients but really showcase the freshness of the produce you use. What has been your favorite dessert recipes this summer?
Red Berry and Basil Granita
Recipe (serves 4)
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
2 cups of strawberries
2 cups of raspberries
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
10 basil leaves
In a small saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar and water. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, remove from the heat and let the simple syrup cool.
In a blender, add the fruit, basil, lemon juice and simple syrup. Blend until just smooth. Pour the mixture in a shallow pan, cover with plastic wrap (the plastic wrap should touch the top of the berry mixture to avoid water condensation). After about an hour, scrape the mixture using a fork to form crystals. Make sure to scrape the entire mixture. Scrape again before serving, and garnish with basil leaves. Enjoy!
Enjoy the read!
Justin
July 24, 2009 at 1:36 pm (15 years ago)beautiful photo. and it sounds amazing.
Mary
July 24, 2009 at 3:18 pm (15 years ago)Made with perfectly ripe strawberries this can’t help but be delicious. The color in your photo is outstanding.
talkingcookies
July 24, 2009 at 4:20 pm (15 years ago)yum yum yummm !
Angie
July 24, 2009 at 8:07 pm (15 years ago)Love the color and the presentation..nice!
Coco Bean
July 24, 2009 at 11:04 pm (15 years ago)Wow, great photo! We have been on a non stop ice cream making and eating frenzy, I think the fresh mint chocolate chunk is my favourite these days… it may change tomorrow though!
I e-mailed you the other day, let me know if you got it because my e-mail has been acting up these days.
Junglefrog
July 25, 2009 at 3:50 am (15 years ago)What a gorgeous and mouth watering photo! Love it!
pigpigscorner
July 25, 2009 at 4:20 am (15 years ago)The colour is amazing and it sounds perfect for Summer! I’ve yet to make some berry dessert.
Room design studio
July 25, 2009 at 11:01 am (15 years ago)this is pretty!! Never tried it with basil.. new and modern!
My Carolina Kitchen
July 25, 2009 at 3:47 pm (15 years ago)Great combination of flavors here. We love to make granitas – they are so much easier than making ice cream.
Sam
the twins
July 26, 2009 at 7:39 pm (15 years ago)that looks so amazing! i love granitas.
Rachel
July 28, 2009 at 6:53 am (15 years ago)I made something
virtually identical (right down to the picture) last year and it was really good!
Jude
July 29, 2009 at 1:01 am (15 years ago)I’d be so tempted to throw everything in an ice cream maker and make a sorbet out of it. Too lazy to scrape with a fork 🙂
Chocolate Shavings
July 29, 2009 at 5:20 am (15 years ago)Jude: It really doesn’t take long to do though, and it’s a great option if you don’t have an ice cream maker at home!
Jinal
August 26, 2009 at 11:52 am (15 years ago)It is very nice blog. I mentioned it on my blog.
http://cookingfunfood.blogspot.com
Kitchen Butterfly
September 17, 2009 at 2:07 pm (15 years ago)Delicious photography of food. Inspiring
Anonymous
July 14, 2010 at 3:39 pm (14 years ago)I’ve been wondering what to do with my basil besides making pesto. I’m going to have to try this!
Carole
August 2, 2012 at 6:38 pm (12 years ago)Lovely berry dish. Berries and currants are this week’s subject for Food on Friday. Would you be happy to link this in? We are looking to create a fantastic collection of berry dishes. This is the link .