Watermelon Granita With A Twist

Here is one of the great recipes learned from Anh My (thanks Anh My !) - stay tuned there will be more- that is perfect for summer time. So, a vos baguettes ou plutot Ninja (my beloved blender from Truong - thanks Truong !)

So, what's the twist? the twist is a secret ingredient added at the last minute that gives the granita a very special sweet chewy texture here and there ... this secret has just been 'imported back from Provence' by my sister and now we are going to share it with you. Add a bit of jam to the frozen granita and you will get these tiny chewy pearls that will add colour and sweetness and surprise texture to your granita. For the watermelon granita, I added some strawberry jam (1/2 Tbsp), or melon granita Kim said they added some peach jam, basically find a jam that complements the colour and taste of your granita and voila`...

Take a close look at the photo above, and you will see a 'strawberry jam pearl' right on the middle top.

The little green speckles are actually chopped mint.

So here is what you need for this wonderful summer concoction.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups seedless watermelon chunks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Juice of 1 meyer lemon
• Optional:  1 tbsp chopped mint leaves, 1 tbsp Grand Marnier, 1/2 tbps strawberry jam

PREPARATION:

1. Combine all non-optional ingredients in your Ninja blender (if you don't have one --- hurry out and get one :-))
2. Puree until smooth.  Add Grand Marnier.
3. Strain into a shallow, wide pan, add chopped mint leaves and freeze for 1 hour.

4. Rake mixture with fork and freeze for another hour. Repeat once more then add the strawberry jam, mix it in then rake and serve.

Here is a photo of the granita before the addition of strawberry jam.

Shiso Apple Granita

Japanese Shiso also known as Perilla is a herb of the mint family. Its cousin Tia To (with a purple-garnet underside) is often used in Vietnamese cuisine as garnish in grilled meat or egg roll and noodle dishes. Both offer fragrant hints of cinnamon, mint and lemon.


Inspired by Jerry Traunfeld 's "The herbal kitchen" I made this granita with Granny Smith Apple and shiso leaves and some Meyer lemon juice and sugar - quite a 'twist' ;-) and a perfect fit I think for the  Weekend Herb Blogging # 236 hosted by Briciole 



Ingredients:
4 servings
- 2 Granny Smith apples, about 1 lb, unpeeled, cored and diced, plus another half for garnish/topping
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 6 large green shiso leaves, plus one cut into thin strands for garnish

Preparation:
1. Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly until the syrup starts to boil. Let it cool completely.
2. Core the apple and dice (unpeeled). Cut up the shiso pleaves.
3. Puree the diced apple, shiso leaves and syrup in a blender (not a food processor) on high speed until they are liquefied.
4. Pour the puree into a a fne sive set over ablowl, and press the liquid through with the back of a rubber spatula, squeezing the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Immediately freeze the liquid in an ice cream maker. When slushy firm, scoop it into a container and store it in the freezer until serving time, This will give more of a sorbet texture.
5. Alternatively, just pour the liquid into a flat container and  freeze. Every hour or so take it out and mush it  up with a fork for a granita texture.Do so a couple of times or more if you are more patient. :-)
6. Scoop the sorbet or granita into glasses and top with thin strips of raw crisp apple and a few strands of shiso and serve immediately.

The topping of crunchy apple and fragrant shiso leaves is definitely a must for this tasty granita.