Pomegranates are just coming to season and they are delicious, although not easy to peel. Later in the season I will probably juice our garden’s pomegranates, but throughout the summer I use the pure, local, thick pomegranate juice we buy frozen on Kea. It has a somewhat tart and tannic taste and no added sugar or anything else. Taste the pomegranate juice you get and adjust the proportions of simple syrup accordingly.
We love the aroma of rose geranium, of which we have plenty in the garden. It is traditionally used it in the quince preserves, but also add it in our fig jam. The pomegranate juice has plenty of flavor but no fragrance so by adding rose geranium leaves you get a great aromatic granita. Some liqueur or vodka is essential, we think, making the frozen dessert much more complex and easier to serve.
Makes 10-16 servings
6 cups pure pomegranate juice
1 ½ -2 cups simple syrup, infused with rose geranium leaves (see NOTE)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup lemon liqueur or 1/3 cup vodka
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, taste and adjust the sweetness with more simple syrup.
Transfer to one or two shallow containers so that the liquid is not thicker than 2/3 inch.
Freeze until solid, probably overnight. At some point most granita recipes suggest that you scrape with a fork the solidified concoction after 2-3 hours. But if you forget about it, just leave a few minutes at room temperature to soften enough and then scrape it.
Serve decorating with rose geranium leaves or fresh pomegranate arils.
NOTE:
To make Simple Syrup boil equal parts of sugar and water, until the sugar is completely dissolved. I suggest you make at least 3-4 cups, and leave the rest in a bottle or jar in the freezer, to use in cocktails or any drinks.
For Rose Geranium Syrup add about 15-20 rose geranium leaves to the simmering syrup, remove from the heat, and let infuse for about 30 minutes. Taste and see if it has a strong enough aroma to flacor your granita. If not, let the leaves infuse the liquid longer.
