Kiwi Granita
One of my favorite parts about going on vacation is the challenge to use all our perishable ingredients in order to avoid coming home to radioactive mutant produce with fur and legs. Kiwi was one of them.
It was a close call. The day before our early morning flight to Costa Rica, I discovered 5 sneaky little kiwis hiding underneath a bag of tortilla chips (I know produce isn’t normally stored with chips but have you forgotten about our tiny kitchen?).
Sure we could have just eaten them on its own but come on folks, who we kiddin’?!? I always manage to make things just a teeny bit more complicated for myself especially with all the packing to be had. But my mind was set. I was inspired by this gorgeous photo from Sweet Corner and I knew I had to squeeze in this one last recipe before our flight.
It’s so simple to make, I was able to multitask with packing and cleaning our apartment. And during our vacation in warm, sunny Costa Rica all I could think about was the refreshing kiwi granita waiting for us in our freezer. Too bad it was 34 degrees in NY when we came home.
Factoid: The difference between a sorbet and granita is its texture. Sorbet is smoother and less granular whereas granita has coarse ice crystals.
Ingredients:
| 5 | fresh kiwis, scooped out from the shell |
| 1/2 | cup water |
| 1/2 | cup sugar |
| 1 | cup club soda |
| 2 | tsp limoncello |
- In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes.
- In a blender, add sugar water, kiwi and limoncello. Puree mixture and transfer to a shallow freezer-safe dish. Stir in club soda.
- Place in freezer for at least 3 hours and stir every 30 minutes. When completely frozen, use a fork to lighten the texture.
March 31st, 2010 at 19:00
Delish! So cool and refreshing. Funny how we both posted on seeded fruits today.
March 31st, 2010 at 22:50
I also love kiwi! I haven’t had them in forever! Yum!
April 1st, 2010 at 05:34
i love kiwis–they’re so unique, and that crunch from the seeds is awesome. great little treat, although admittedly not entirely appropriate when the temp is 34(!)…
April 1st, 2010 at 08:48
I’ve seen Giada de Laurentiis make granita many times on her various hit television shows. Now you’ve joined her leagues. Seems a little labor intensive, but it’s probably quite simple! So pretty!
April 1st, 2010 at 11:29
I love the color! Kiwi’s are a favorite fruit with my kids they would love this, it looks so refreshing.
Mimi
April 1st, 2010 at 16:30
Thank you for sharing your recipe and Kiwi is one of my favorite seeded fruit. Sometimes it is good to give the fruits we love a twist like your kiwi-granita so we can enjoy them more than ever! Thank you for this refreshing recipe. Perfect for summer!
April 2nd, 2010 at 02:15
This looks so refreshing! Being in Australia, there is always an abundance of kiwi fruit – granitas is one of my favourite things to make during the summer. Will surely add this to my collection.
April 4th, 2010 at 01:49
hi dhale
I never such had a granita but it looks great and refreshing ; I keep the recipe for later as the weahter is not that gorgeous here today in Paris !!pierre
April 4th, 2010 at 08:42
Smart use of your kiwis! I wish I had been so clever … I came back from vacay to find liquefied bitter melon in the produce drawer, yuk.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:57
The perfect summer treat! I love your photos!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:04
@Tiny Urban Kitchen: I loved your photos of the dragon fruit! Can’t wait to try them out one of these days. And thanks
April 8th, 2010 at 14:05
@Sook: I don’t eat kiwi too often but they’re quickly becoming one of my more favorite fruits!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:07
@Grace: I love the crunchy seeds and kiwis are so photogenic!!! It’s been warming up over here in NYC so the granita is perfect now!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:08
@Lindsay: Granitas are super easy to make and it sounds a lot fancier than what it is. We don’t own a TV so I’m out of the loop with all the craze on Food Network though
April 8th, 2010 at 14:10
@Mimi: The green color with black contrasting seeds are so wonderful to photograph. But the frost on the mason jars make it a bit tough to truly capture. This is definitely a great treat for your kids and healthier than ice cream too!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:12
@Kathy: Thank you!!! I don’t usually eat too much kiwi but it’s quickly becoming a favorite. And I can’t wait for summer!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:13
@Trissa: This was my first time making a granita and I can’t wait to experiment with other flavors. Summer is only a few months away for us here in the northern hemisphere!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:19
@Pierre: Il fait beau aujourd’hui à New York… c’est parfait pour granita! Hope you enjoy the recipe
April 8th, 2010 at 14:20
@Tasty Trix: I wasn’t as clever as I thought because we came home to mushrooms that were growing their own mushrooms!
April 8th, 2010 at 14:21
@Alisa: Thank you very much!!!!
April 10th, 2010 at 03:19
A warm summer day served with a Kiwi Granita would be really good right now. I can’t wait for the summer to arrive in Paris.
April 10th, 2010 at 10:55
We live in the same “hood” if you ever need to get rid of things like kiwi granita or whatever – let me know…this looks so good!
April 15th, 2010 at 04:04
I just can’t stop staring at the pictures. I know it’ll taste comforting and tongue soothing. But the granita in a small jar looks so rustic and chic…
April 19th, 2010 at 09:38
@Linn: It’s also starting to warm up here in NYC and I can’t wait to enjoy a cool, refreshing granita under the sun! We’ll be in Paris for a few days in the summer as well so we’re very excited
April 19th, 2010 at 09:52
@Pierre: I love those little mason jars. I use them for so many desserts and it really does add a rustic feel to them. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to make some kiwi granita. They’re delicious and I love the extra crunch from the seeds!
April 19th, 2010 at 10:44
@Doggybloggy: Lol! We’re in the process of moving so I need to empty out the refrigerator!