Apple Granita Recipe
September 17, 2009
Apple granita
Granitas are refreshingly cool and delicious. This is not your average granita though, I added a little fun to it. This fun I’m talking about comes from Triple Sec, an orange-flavored liqueur, which incorporates a nice soft citrus undertone to this granita. For the upcoming fall months, I would suggest adding some cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon). There is something about apples and cinnamon make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, especially around the holidays. I can picture myself making this along with caramel apples around Halloween, or even at Thanksgiving as a cool, refreshing dessert. And why not at Christmas while sitting near a toasty fire! I might be a little bit early with the holiday cheer, but I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
I used Granny Smith apples for this recipe, but any tart apple will work.
sliced and peeled apples
Adding the skins while boiling lends flavor and color to this granita. There is more than one way to skin an apple evidently. Here are three options:
Option 1: If you have a food mill handy, then simply core your apples, slice them and boil with skin attached then run everything through a food mill to remove the skins.
Option 2: Tie apple skins into a cheese cloth and boil, then simply remove skin filled cheese cloth, pressing soaked bag against side of pan to extract as much flavor as possible.
Option 3: Peel apples ever so diligently so that you have long curly peels that can be easily removed after boiling (this is what I ended up doing, and it worked out great).
Once granita is frozen, shave off into frosty layers (similar to a snow cone texture, but smoother)
Ingredients
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into cubes
- 5 tablespoons of raw sugar
- 2 cups of natural lemon-lime soda
- 4 tablespoons of Triple Sec
In a medium sauce pan, boil apples, skins, lemon-lime soda, and sugar for 15 minutes. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and stir in Triple Sec. Let fruit cool for about 10-15 minutes. Pick out peels and discard. Pour apple mixture into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Next, pour blended mixture into a freezer-safe bowl and freeze for 1 hour. Stir around a bit, then freeze for another 4-5 hours (I froze this overnight). Shave off layers with a spoon (should look similar to shaved ice or snow cone texture). Spoon into bowls and enjoy. Serves 4-6.
Sounds yummy on a hot day! And I love those little bowls.