Pear And Cranberry Granita Recipes

Steps:

• Combine pears and honey in processor; puree until smooth.
• Pour reserved pear juices into 2 cup measuring cup.
• Add enough cranberry juice to pear juices to measure 2 cups.
• Add juice mixture to processor and process until well blended.
• Transer to 13x9x2" glass baking dish.
• Freeze until frozen, at least 5 hours or overnight.
• Using fork, scrape surace of granita to form crystals.
• Divide among 6 dessert glasses.
• Garnish with cranberries and mint sprigs, if desired.

Steps:

• Make the Pie Dough: In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and mix to combine. Add the butter and continue mixing until the mixture holds together when you clump it, and there are pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks and milk in small bowl.
• Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap well and store in the refrigerator for several hours. (The dough will keep for several days in the fridge and several weeks in the freezer.)
• Make the Almond Cream: In the standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add almond flour and mix until just combined. Add eggs and mix until combined. Add flour, vanilla, and salt and mix. Store covered in refrigerator for up to a week.
• Make the Roasted Pears: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the pears with the ginger in a roasting pan and arrange them in a single layer. Sprinkle the sugar on top and dot with the butter. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.)
• Assemble the Crostata: Using half of the pie dough (reserve half for another use), roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface into a circle about 12 to 14 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered baking sheet.
• Using a spatula, spread a circle of almond cream about 8 inches in diameter in the center of the dough (use about 1/2 cup of the almond cream). Arrange the pears in concentric circles in 2 layers on top of almond cream circle. Sprinkle the cranberries on top of the pears. Fold the edges of the dough in, slightly covering the pears, to form a free-form tart. Brush with the beaten egg and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, let cool, and serve.

Steps:

• Combine pears and honey in processor; puree until smooth. Pour reserved pear juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough cranberry juice to pear juices to measure 2 cups. Add juice mixture to processor and process until well blended. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, at least 5 hours or overnight. Using fork, scrape surface of granita to form crystals. Divide granita among 6 dessert glasses. Garnish with cranberries and mint sprigs, if desired.

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the 1/4 cup ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and form into 2 disks. Wrap the disks with plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Roll each pastry disk into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer them to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• For the filling, peel, core, and quarter the pears. Cut each quarter into big chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Divide the pear chunks between the pastries, covering the dough and leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cranberries over the top of each tart.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the two tarts. Gently fold the border of each tart over the pears, pleating it to make a circle.
• Bake the crostatas for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the pears are tender. Let the tarts cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer them to wire racks.

Steps:

• Place the water, cranberries and sugar into a small saucepan, set over medium-high heat and simmer until the berries begin to pop, approximately 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Puree with a stick blender, blender or food processor, for 1 minute. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer directly into a metal 13 by 9-inch pan. Do not press on the skins. Simply allow the juice to drip through the strainer. Add the zest and stir to combine. Place in the freezer until set, at least 6 hours and up to overnight. Once frozen, scrape the mixture with a fork to create a shaved ice texture. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Whisk the cranberry juice and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves. Pour the cranberry mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Cool completely. Whisk in the lime juice and vodka. Freeze until the granita becomes slushy, about 2 hours. Using fork, stir to blend. Continue freezing the granita until frozen, stirring every hour to form crystals, at least 5 hours or overnight.
• Divide the granita among 6 dessert glasses. Garnish with fresh cranberries, if desired, and serve.

Steps:

• Quarter the pears, peel them, and remove the cores. Dice the pears into 1-inch (3-cm) pieces. Put them in a medium-sized, nonreactive saucepan with the water and sugar and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until completely soft, about 8 minutes. A knife inserted into a pear chunk should meet no resistance.
• Cool to room temperature, then purée the pears and their liquid in a blender or food processor until smooth. Freeze according to the instructions for freezing granita on page 145.
• Serve Pear Granita with Chocolate Sorbet (page 120) or Chocolate Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style (page 28).

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter cake pan.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
• Beat together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined well.
• At low speed, mix in pears and cranberries, then mix in flour mixture until incorporated.
• Spoon batter into pan.
• Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Cool in pan 30 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
• Make glaze:
• Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, cinnamon sticks, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Cool glaze 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks, then pour glaze over cake, letting some drip down sides.