Made with freshly squeezed orange juice, cinnamon, sugar, and in-season red grapes, this Spiced Grape Granita Recipe, very California twist on classic granita is sure to become your go-to summertime dessert.
1teaspoonfennel seedsor anise seed or 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
For The Granita Base:
4cups California red grapes(about 1 1/2 pounds)
Pinch of sea salt
1/4cupfreshly-squeezed orange juice
1teaspoongrated orange zest(from 1 orange)
For Serving:
1cupcold heavy creamfor serving (optional)
4 to 6Brioche or croissantsfor serving (optional)
Instructions
Make the simple syrup: Make the simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.Bring to a simmer and add the crushed fennel seeds, anise, or cinnamon if using. Set aside until the flavor is prominent for about 10 to 15 minutes, then strain off and discard the seeds or stick.
Macerate the grapes: Meanwhile, place the grapes in a large bowl and, using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher, smash the grapes until the majority of them are split open.Pour the flavored simple syrup over the grapes, add a pinch of salt, and set aside until the grapes have a lot of flavors and the syrup is cool, at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Blend the grapes: Transfer the grapes with the syrup to a high-performance blender or a food processor and blend until it is very smooth, at least 30 seconds.Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the grape puree into the sieve and strain off the grape skins by pushing on the sieve with a spatula or wooden spoon to get as much color and flavor from the puree. Add the orange juice and orange zest, and whisk again.Pour the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish or loaf pan then place it on a level shelf in the freezer for one hour. (Mixture should only come about ½ to 1-inch up the side of the pan.)
Shave The Granita: After one hour, remove the granita from the freezer and, using a large fork, gently stir any ice crystals that have formed on the sides of the pan back into the liquid, not breaking them up entirely.Return to the freezer and repeat scraping every 30 to 45 minutes until the whole mixture has shaved ice-like texture, about 3 hours.
Dry the granita: Before serving, scrape the granita with a fork to fluff it and allow it to “dry” in the freezer for another 20 minutes.Meanwhile, take chilled cream and place it in a large, impeccably clean bowl. Using a clean whisk or stand mixer, whip the cream until it has soft peaks — when the whisk is pulled from the bowl, the cream holds onto the whisk but bends a bit at the end.
Serve the granita: Layer the granita and whipped cream or sandwich the granita and cream in a brioche. Serve immediately.