Lemon granita with basil

Votes: 2

18+ Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health!

Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Lemon granita is a light, refreshing dessert from Italy. Its bright, sweet, citrusy flavor makes it perfect for the summer heat and a wonderful post-dinner treat. Basil complements the lemon perfectly for an even more invigorating flavor and aroma. If you're making this dessert for adults, you can stir vodka into the granita mixture to create something akin to a frozen cocktail. Once the granita begins to set in the freezer, scrape it occasionally with the tines of a fork to ensure it turns from a lump of ice to a pleasant, snow-like texture.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1 cup of sugar
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus small leaves for serving
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons)
1/4 cup vodka (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: lemon juice, syrup, vodka, basil

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar with 3 cups of water. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Add basil to the sugar syrup and crush the leaves with a wooden spoon. Let it steep for 1 hour. Strain the mixture into a 22x32 cm glass baking dish (discard the basil). Add lemon juice and vodka, if using.

Place in the freezer for about 2 hours, until the mixture begins to set. Scrape the granita with a fork every 30 minutes until small ice crystals form, about 1 more hour.
Serve the granita in chilled glasses, garnished with small basil leaves, mushroom caps on skewers.

Author of the recipe - Valerie Bertinelli is an American actress.

Categories:

recipe / Summer dishes / Dinner / Party Dishes / Cocktail party / Alcoholic cocktails / Cocktails with vodka / Frozen cocktails / Italian cuisine