Orange Basil Granita Recipes

Steps:

• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Let syrup stand 15 minutes.
• Stir together orange juice, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour basil syrup through a fine sieve into the orange juice mixture; discard basil.
• Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch shallow nonreactive dish. Chill in freezer until edges are frozen, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from freezer; scrape with fork tines, pulling from edges into center. Return to freezer. Repeat process every 30 minutes until mixture is the texture of shaved ice, about 4 1/2 hours. Spoon into serving bowls, and garnish with basil.

Steps:

• Clean and wash the oranges. Cut off the top 1/4 of the oranges and shave a small slice off the bottom so it stands easily.
• Using a grapefruit knife, cut out the flesh of the oranges and place in a strainer set over a bowl. Be careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the oranges on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer and freeze until solid.
• Press the flesh of the oranges through the strainer to extract all of the juice. You should end up with about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of orange juice. Add the extra 4 cups orange juice. Stir in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is of desired sweetness. Add the basil and orange-flavored liqueur 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 orange shells and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Adjust sugar to taste. Pour liquid into large shallow stainless steel pan and place in freezer. When frozen, scrape with fork until fluffy and serve, as desired.

Steps:

• Combine the sugar with 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature.
• Add the basil to the sugar syrup and muddle the leaves with the base of a wooden spoon. Let steep for 1 hour. Strain the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish (discard the basil). Stir in the lemon juice and vodka, if using. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 2 hours. Scrape with a fork to form small crystals in the ice every 30 minutes to an hour until the mixture is fully frozen, about 1 hour more.
• Serve the granita in chilled glasses, garnished with the small basil leaves.

Steps:

• First make the sugar syrup: Combine the sugar and water in small saucepan and boil over high heat until the sugar is dissolved.
• Pour the sugar syrup into a 10 x 13 x 2-inch ceramic dish and stir in the orange juice, Campari, and lemon juice. Carefully place the dish on a level surface in the freezer. Freeze for one hour, rake the granita with a large dinner fork, and return it to the freezer. Rake the granite every 30 minutes, until it's firm and granular. This should take a several hours. Serve frozen in pretty bowls or stemmed martini glasses.

Steps:

• Cut the top off each orange, just enough to scoop out the pulp for later use. Discard tops and freeze empty orange shells.
• NOTE: For easier scooping, roll the oranges by hand before cutting the tops, using a firm downward pressure to loosen the pulp.
• In a colander, fine mesh strainer, or food mill, mash the orange pulp to remove as much juice as possible. Add additional juice, if necessary, to make 1 1/2 cups.
• Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When the sugar is totally dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool. Add orange juice and orange liqueur.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow glass dish and place level in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, mixing gently with a fork every 20 minutes until it forms ice crystals and thickens. The frequent mixing will keep the granita from freezing into a solid block.
• Fill orange shells with frozen granita mixture and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and 1 cup water to a simmer over medium low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Stir in basil and let syrup stand for 15 minutes.
• Stir together orange juice, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Pour basil syrup through a fine sieve into the orange juice mixture; discard basil.
• Move mixture to a 9"x13" shallow nonreactive dish(glass is good). Chill in the freezer until edges are frozen, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from freezer; scrape with a fork, pulling from the edges into center. Return to freezer. Repeat process every 30 minutes until the mix is the texture of shaved ice, about 4 hours. Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with basil sprigs. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Clean and wash the oranges.
• Cut off the top 1/4 of the oranges and shave a small slice off the bottom so it stands easily.
• Using a grapefruit knife, cut out the flesh of the oranges and place in a strainer set over a bowl.
• Be careful not to cut through the bottom.
• Stand the oranges on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer and freeze until solid.
• Press the flesh of the oranges through the strainer to extract all of the juice.
• You should end up with about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of orange juice.
• Add the extra 4 cups orange juice. Stir in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is of desired sweetness. Add the basil and orange-flavored liqueur 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 orange shells and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Squeeze 5 to 6 oranges to yield 3 cups of juice. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Boil over high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a shallow 2-quart dish, and add remaining orange juice.
• Freeze, scraping around sides and breaking into crystals with a fork every 30 minutes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours total. Cover with plastic wrap; keep in freezer until ready to serve.

Steps:

• In a pan, dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring it to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, and add the basil leaves. Mix and leave to cool.
• When it is cold, remove the basil leaves and discard them. Add the lime juice, including any fleshy bits, and mix.
• Pour into a large freezer proof container, and put into the freezer.
• Every 15 minutes, for 2 hours, take out of the freezer and mix it up. Then every half an hour until the granita appears grainy and the crystals have been broken down. It should resemble snow or coarse sand.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Blend blueberries, water, basil, lime juice, honey and salt in a food processor or blender until smooth. Place in an airtight container and freeze until slushy, at least 2 1/2 hours. Divide among 4 glasses and serve with a sprig of fresh basil.

Steps:

• Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl with all the other ingredients except the basil leaves. If you have time, leave them to macerate at room temperature overnight. Blitz in a blender - in batches, then strain through a fine sieve. Shred the basil leaves and stir through.
• Clear a shelf in the freezer and place a sided metal tray in to chill. Make up your mix and leave to cool, then pour into the tray and cover with cling film. Freeze the liquid until frozen around the edges and slushy in the middle. Use a fork to break up the ice into smaller crystals. Return the tray to the freezer. Repeat the breaking up process every half hour (at least three times) until it's completely frozen and the texture of snow. For a quicker method: freeze the mixture in an ice tray, then blitz the cubes in a food processor just before serving. The texture will be slightly slushier, but just as delicious.

Steps:

• Slice off the top and bottom of the pomegranates, then break them apart and remove the seeds. With your hands, squeeze all of the juice out of the seeds, then push the mixture through a sieve, pressing down gently to extract as much juice as possible without pushing the bitter skins through.
• Discard the seeds. In a large shallow glass baking dish that will fit in your freezer, combine the juice with the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved (place the pan over a very low flame if desired to speed the dissolving of the sugar). Freeze for 4 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Scrape the surface of the ice with a spoon into large flaky crystals.
• Refreeze if desired. The granita should be served as a chunky ice, not a smooth sorbet.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325.
• Grease and lightly flour a baking sheet. Blend the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add the egg and orange juice, and beat the mixture until a dough begins to form.
• Add the butter, beating until it is just incorporated, and fold in the pine nuts, basil leaves, and orange zest.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, kneading it several times, then let it rest, covered with a kitchen towel, for 5 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half and, with floured hands and working quickly on the prepared baking sheet, form each piece of dough into a log 12 inches long by 2 inches wide. Arrange the logs at least 3 inches apart on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set and pale golden.
• Remove them from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. On a cutting board, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet, and bake them 10 to 12 minutes longer.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the biscotti over, and bake them a final 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.