Anyone that has ever grown mint knows that it spreads and takes over everything. I planted three different types of mint this year so I have a-plenty. Since mint goes especially well in desserts and dessert is my favorite thing to make, I figured I had no choice but to use up some of my rampant mint in a dessert. In a way, you could say my hands were tied; I was almost forced to make something sweet.
Since I make dessert pretty often around here, I decided to make something that was lighter and not full of cream and butter. Also, it has been just crazy, disgustingly hot lately, so I thought something cold would be nice. I loved the idea of a mint sorbet or a mint chocolate ice cream but seeing as how I lack an ice cream maker, I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I decided the next best thing would be some sort of Italian ice like concoction.
The only problem is, I tend to not like most Italian ices. To me they lack finesse. I don’t see what is so great about some slivered ice with overly sweet, corn fructose laden syrup pumped on top. I decided that since mint pairs well with lemon and the tanginess of citrus would cut the sweetness that I would combine the two. So I did what I always do when I have a vague idea of a dish I want to make but no real concept of how to do it…. I googled. And there it was, exactly what I wanted with a spiffy, gourmet-sounding name: lemon mint granita.
The recipe is fairly straightforward. You remove the pulp and juice from the lemons and discard the seeds. Puree it all together with some fresh mint and then run it through a sieve to strain out any clumps. Add the amount of sugar you like. I used between 3-4 tablespoons because I wanted mine to be a little tart and only have a touch of sweetness. Add some water and then freeze it. The only part of the recipe that may seem a little high maintenance is that you have to take the mixture out of the freezer every hour or so to scrape it with a fork. This keeps the mixture from freezing into a solid hunk of mint-flavored ice. You want shiny, flaky shards of ice. I found the repetitive scraping kind of satisfying because I don’t mind monotonous kitchen tasks and I liked to see the progress the granita was making and how it was changing. I seriously called the boyfriend over with a great deal of excitement every time I scraped to look at it, which I’m sure he could of lived without.
You end up with an end product that is refreshing, minty, lemony, and just a touch sweet. The boyfriend described it best when he said “Its like a grown up snow cone”. It is pretty simple as far as desserts go but we found it surprisingly satisfying and addictive. The best part is that you don’t feel guilty going back for seconds because it is mostly just fruit and mint.
This recipe came from a food blog I read smittenkitchen.com. The recipe calls for you to hollow out the lemons so you can serve it in a little lemon cup. That seemed a little silly and needlessly fancy for just a normal weeknight, so I opted to serve it in footed ice cream dishes and garnish with a mint sprig…still pretty, but less fussy. However, if you were having a dinner party it would be a nice touch. Another note: this recipe would be delicious with some lemoncello in it (just a touch though, otherwise it would take forever to freeze). If I weren’t too lazy to drive to the liquor store and too cheap to part with the cash, I would have done it that way.
4 lemons
4 cups water
Sugar, to taste (we used 3 tablespoons, like a tart lemonade)
Handful of fresh mint leaves
Clean and wash the lemons. Cut off the top quarter of the lemons and slice a thin bevel off the bottom, so they can stand up straight. (You can skip this step if you don’t want to serve them in frozen lemon cups.) Using a grapefruit knife, carefully remove all of the lemon flesh and juice (working over a bowl ensures you won’t lose any), being careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the lemons on a plate or cookie sheet and freeze until solid.
Using a food processor (a blender will work as well), toss a handful of washed and dried fresh mint leaves into the work bowl. (I used about 25 to 30 leaves from 6 to 9 sprigs.) Add the scooped out lemon flesh and juice, and pulse until mostly pureed. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes, so the mint releases its flavor, then press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. You’ll end up with approximately one cup of lemon-mint juice.
Stir in the water, then sugar, one tablespoon at a time until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is to your desire level of sweetness. Pour the mixture into a large roasting pan or baking dish, large enough that the liquid isn’t more than one-inch deep. (Otherwise it takes forever to freeze, trust me. A 9×13-inch pan worked great here.)
Freeze for one hour, then remove the mixture and scrape with two forks to break up the ice. (Your freezing time will vary, depending on the temperature and muscle of your freezer.) Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours, scraping it again with forks every hour or so.
When the granita is frozen, rake until glittery.
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