Orange-Water Ice (Granita)
A refreshing frozen citrus dessert made with fresh orange and lemon juice, sweetened and frozen to create a light, icy treat. This is a simple granita-style frozen dessert from the Victorian era.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Water (Original recipe called for 1 pint)
- 3 whole Oranges, juiced (Should yield about 3/4 cup juice)
- 1 whole Lemon, juiced (Should yield about 3 tablespoons juice)
- 1 orange Orange peel, finely grated (Use a microplane or fine grater, zest only (no white pith))
- 0.75 cup Simple syrup (Or to taste; adjust sweetness as desired)
More recipes using Oranges
Instructions
- 1Juice the three oranges and one lemon, straining out any seeds and pulp. Finely grate the peel (zest only) of one orange using a microplane or fine grater, avoiding the bitter white pith.
- 2In a mixing bowl, combine the water, strained orange juice, strained lemon juice, grated orange peel, and simple syrup. Stir well until thoroughly mixed. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed by adding more syrup.
- 3Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-safe container (such as a 9x13 inch baking dish or similar). A shallow container will freeze more evenly and make it easier to scrape.
- 4Place the container in the freezer. After 45 minutes, use a fork to scrape and stir the mixture, breaking up any ice crystals that have formed around the edges. Return to freezer and repeat this scraping process every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours total, until the mixture is completely frozen with a light, fluffy, crystalline texture.
- 5Once fully frozen, scrape the granita with a fork to create light, fluffy ice crystals. Serve immediately in chilled glasses or bowls. If frozen solid, let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before scraping and serving.
