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Nectarine Granita

a refeshing, semi-frozen dessert to serve on a summer day
Prep Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: summer
Servings: 8 people
Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

  • 8-10 nectarines
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar

Instructions

  • Begin making this dessert about three hours before you plan to eat it. It's better to freeze the mixture in two trays. If you use only one tray, the mixture will need more time to freeze.
  • Cut the nectarines into chunks, reserving the stones (if they have a bit of flesh on them, use them in the fruit syrup).
  • Combine the water, sugar and nectarine stones in small saucepan. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the mixture has thickened a little to a syrup.
  • Strain the syrup through a sieve.
  • Stir the syrup into the chopped nectarines, then blend to a smooth puree with a handheld mixer or in a blender. Pour the mixture into two shallow trays (lamington tins work well).
  • Cover with foil and put in the freezer. After an hour, take out the granita and flake it with a fork. Repeat the process a couple of times. Take the granita out of the freezer about 10 minutes before serving and flake it again with a fork. Serve the granita in bowls or glasses and top with fruit if you wish.

Notes

To add more flavour to your granita, save the skins of your fruit to make a fruit syrup. Follow the instructions above for the fruit syrup. To make it worth my while, I add 2 cups of  fruit to 1 L of water and 1 cup of sugar. I strain the liquid after about 30 minutes, and reduce it until I have a about 1 cup of syrup remaining.
Try adding a syrup out of lemons and limes for a pineapple and mint granita, or an orange and ginger syrup for a mango granita. The syrups taste delicious as a cordial, too!