Recipe: Shiraz Granita

the appetizer:

Cool off this summer with recipes from Ice Creams & Sorbets by Lou Seibert Pappas, including Mexican Chocolate-Cinnamon Swirl Ice Cream, Strega Semifreddo, and Shiraz Granita.

Shiraz Granita

Makes about 1-1/2 pints

The full-flavored Shiraz (or Syrah) wine imparts berrylike fruitiness to this icy refresher. Other dry red wines would work very well, too. Serve between courses, if you wish, or as a summertime dessert with biscotti. When Bing cherries are in season, they are lovely dressing it up as a garnish. Another time, adorn it with edible flowers such as unsprayed violets from the garden.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups dry red wine, such as
Shiraz, Merlot, or Zinfandel
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup pitted Bing cherries for garnish
Edible flowers, mint, or lemon balm sprigs for garnish (optional)

Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the syrup is clear. Remove from the heat and stir in the wine and juices. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.

Pour into a 9-inch nonreactive square pan, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and place in the freezer. Every 2 hours, stir with a fork, scraping the crystals from the sides of the pan into the liquid center. Repeat 5 or 6 times until the entire mass is set into small, light crystals, up to 12 hours. Serve at once or transfer to a container, cover, and freeze. To serve, spoon into chilled wine or other decorative glasses, letting it mound on the surface. Garnish with cherries and flowers, mint, or lemon balm, if desired.