Black Currant Granita (Printable)

Light, icy frozen dessert with tangy black currants. Perfect for summer refreshment.

# What You Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 3 cups fresh or frozen black currants

→ Sweetener

02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Liquid

03 - 1 2/3 cups water
04 - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

# Directions:

01 - Rinse the black currants thoroughly. If using fresh currants, remove and discard stems.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine the black currants, sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the currants burst, approximately 10 minutes.
03 - Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Puree the mixture using a blender or immersion blender until smooth.
04 - Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing firmly to extract as much juice as possible. Discard seeds and skins.
05 - Stir in the lemon juice to the strained mixture.
06 - Pour the strained mixture into a shallow metal baking dish and place in the freezer.
07 - After 45 minutes, use a fork to scrape and break up any icy edges. Return to the freezer.
08 - Every 30 to 45 minutes, scrape and fluff the mixture with a fork until the granita is fully frozen and fluffy, approximately 4 hours total.
09 - Serve immediately in chilled glasses or bowls.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It requires almost no special equipment and comes together in under 30 minutes of actual work time.
  • The bold flavor tastes far more complex than the four simple ingredients suggest.
  • Unlike other frozen desserts, granita's icy texture feels lighter and more refreshing than creamy alternatives.
02 -
  • The scraping step is non-negotiable—skipping it or doing it just once will leave you with a solid ice block instead of the light, aerated granita you want.
  • A shallow, wide dish freezes much more evenly than a deep one, so resist the urge to use any bowl you have lying around.
03 -
  • If you've forgotten to scrape at regular intervals and end up with a solid block, briefly blend the frozen mixture or let it soften slightly at room temperature for 10 minutes, then fluff aggressively with a fork.
  • Frozen black currants often work better than fresh because they concentrate the flavor during freezing, so don't hesitate to use them even if fresh are available.
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