PEACH GRANITA

I love granitas.  Perfect cold treat on a hot summer day.  I've made blueberry, watermelon and coffee granitas.  Today, I tried my hand at making peach.

 On my way home from our family reunion in Nashville, I stopped in the little town of Campbell, in what is called the Bootheel portion of Missouri. (That would be the Southeastern most portion of the state.)  Campbells claim to fame is "The Peach Capitol of Missouri".  So.....I bought 2 boxes of peaches.  Really pretty peaches.

Two boxes is a lot of peaches and it took me all day to get them processed and into my freezer.  I planned to make a pie, but by the time I was done dealing with both boxes, I was out of time, so I made peach granita instead.  (Pie is still in the plan though!)
So easy and so yummy.  You can pretty much do this with any kind of fruit as far as I know.  Here's the story morning glory......

PEACH GRANITA

4-5 C. fresh peaches, peeled, pits removed and coarsely chopped
1/2 C. water
1/4-1/2 C. sugar...depends on the sweetness of your fruit
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
Spice, herb, extract of your choice....the possibilities are endless with peaches.  Think ginger, cinnamon, almond or vanilla extract, fresh basil or spearmint.  (I went with ground allspice because my friend Lorraine @ Miss Flibbertigibbet mentioned spiced peaches and then I wanted some.)

Puree peaches, salt, sugar, lemon juice and water in a food processor or blender.  (Here is where you add more sugar if necessary.)  Add spice, extract or herb and give it one more spin.  Pour into an 8" square baking dish.  Freeze for 3 hours, scraping with a fork every hour.  (Your going for sort of a snowcone texture with your puree.  It gets there after the second scraping.)
Spoon it into the dish of your choice and garnish with whatever.  I used a cinnamon stick and some mint.

I just happen to know that this is also good if you spoon it in a wine glass and add a little white wine or Riesling and a straw.   Kind of a big girl snowcone...why not?  I  happen to love Fetzer Riesling, just so ya know.
Of course, it's fine just as it is, without the alcohol, and kids love it....sneaky way to get some fruit in them.

   Enjoy and experiment with different combinations of flavors!

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