Champagne Granita

Makes about 4 cups of shaved ice

There may be no more elegant granita, sweet and tart. It's a fine finish to any meal, especially alongside some fresh macaroons.

2 cups Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine
1 cup unsweetened apple juice or white grape juice
1/2 cup sugar, preferably superfine

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until the sugar dissolves and the foaming just starts to subside (some foaming will help the granita stay light and airy as it freezes). Pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Freeze on the floor of the freezer for about 2 hours, stirring with a fork every 20 minutes. When the granita is frozen but soft, smooth out the crystals and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Tightly sealed, the granita can stay in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

2. Serve by scraping up the ice crystals with a fork and mounding them in cups, bowls, or glasses.

Wine Granita: Substitute red or white wine for the champagne; increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.

Sweet Dessert Wine Granita: Omit the apple juice and use 3 cups vin santo sweet Marsala or port; decrease the sugar to 1/4 cup.

Buy the Book!

from:
The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book
A Complete Guide to Gelato, Sherbert, Granita, and Semmifreddo, Plus Frozen Cakes, Pies, Mousses, Chiffon Cakes, and More, with Hundreds of Ways to Customize Every Recipe to Your Own Taste
by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Morrow Cookbooks
256 pages; Paperback; $16.95; $23.95 (CAN)
ISBN: 0060597070
Recipe reprinted by permission.