Since my first taste on vacation in the Virgin Islands 15 years ago, I’ve been making granitas. Mango, orange, strawberry—almost any fruit will do. Then one summer neighbors asked me to make a Mint Granita using mint from their garden. Mango used to be my favorite flavor, but nothing beats the heat like the crisp taste of fresh mint.
Ingredients
| 1 c. water | Fresh mint leaves (50-60 mint sprigs), plus extra small sprigs or leaves for garnish |
| 1 ¼ c. sugar | ½ c. fresh lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons) |
Preparation
1. Strip mint leaves off stems, rinse in water to clean and place leaves in a blender.
2. Combine sugar and water in a pan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved completely.
3. Raise heat to high and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
4. Add hot syrup to blender and pulse until finely chopped. Let cool to room temperature and then put in fridge for at least 2 hours.
5. Add lemon juice and then place cheesecloth over a strainer and strain to remove leaves and seeds. Place liquid in a shallow freezer-proof dish in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours or until mushy.
6. Scrape and stir the semi-frozen liquid to break up the ice crystals and then let freeze for another 3 to 4 hours.
7. Repeat the scrape and stir action. Let freeze until solid.
8. Scrape with fork into a serving dish and garnish with small mint leaves.
Serves 8.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 80; Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Total Carbohydrates: 24g; Dietary Fiber: 0g; Sugars: 23g; Protein: 0g.
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