Limoncello Granita Recipes

Steps:

• Clean and wash the lemons. Cut off the top 1/4 of the lemons and shave a small slice off the bottom so it stands easily.
• Using a grapefruit knife, cut out the flesh of the lemon and place in a strainer set over a bowl. Be careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the lemons on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer and freeze until solid.
• Press the flesh of the lemons through the strainer to extract all of the juice. You should end up with about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice. Add the water to the lemon juice. Stir in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is of desired sweetness. Add the thyme and limoncello and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Strain the mixture into a roasting pan or baking dish. The dish should be large enough so the liquid is not more than 1-inch deep. Freeze the mixture for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and scrape with 2 forks to break up ice. Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours, scraping with forks every hour or so.
• When the granite is frozen, scoop it into the frozen lemon shells and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Pare the zest from all the lemons, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a large clean jar and pour over the vodka. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
• Put the sugar in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vodka and peels and leave for a further week, shaking the jar regularly.
• Strain into decorative bottles, adding a few strips of lemon zest to each bottle.

Steps:

• Pour water and sugar into a saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar melts; do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat when the sugar has completely dissolved and the water is no longer cloudy. Add lemon juice and stir until combined. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Pour into a freezer-safe dish that has a tight lid. Cover and put into the freezer until it begins to freeze around the edges, but is still slushy in the center, about 45 minutes.
• Lightly stir the crystals from the edge of the granita mixture into the center using a fork and mix thoroughly. Replace the lid. Close the freezer and chill until granita is nearly frozen, 30 to 40 more minutes.
• Mix lightly with a fork as before, scraping the crystals loose. Repeat freezing and stirring with the fork 3 to 4 times until crystals are separate and the granita is light, dry, and fluffy.
• Serve each portion with 1/2 of a lemon wheel and fresh lemon zest on top.

Steps:

• Combine sugar and 1 cup cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is syrupy, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and 3/4 cup cold water, then stir in limoncello.
• Pour liquid into a large, shallow pan. Place pan on a flat surface in the freezer and freeze for at least 8 hours. During the first 2 hours, remove the pan every 20 to 40 minutes and stir the contents with a fork, making sure to scrape down the sides of dish and combining the iced and still-liquid portions. When the granita has frozen completely, use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape the top, collecting each serving. Place in a cocktail glass or bowl and serve.

Steps:

• Combine the lemon simple syrup, mascarpone cheese, limoncello, and salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until the mixture is firm.
• Using the tines of a fork, scrape the mixture into small serving bowls or glasses. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Mix water, 1 cup of the wine and the sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Add pears, lower the heat to simmer and cook the pears gently, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly in cooking liquid.
• Drain the pears, reserving the cooking liquid.
• Puree the pears in a food processor until smooth (you should have 1 cup of pear puree).
• Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the cooking liquid, the remaining wine and the limoncello to the bowl; mix well.
• Pour into a shallow metal pan that will fit into the freezer and freeze.
• Gently stir the granita every 20 minutes or until frozen to allow the mixture to freeze without separating and give the proper crystalline texture.
• Once the granita is frozen, scrape the mixture with a spoon or ice-cream scoop into a pretty glass and serve immediately.
• Garnish with lemon zest or a sprig of mint.