Thursday, July 11, 2013

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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30 comments:

  1. I have never heard of a granita. Sounds like a perfect summer treat though!

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  2. Oh YUM!!! I am going to do this with watermelon for sure. The boys would love it. I never knew granita was that simple to make.
    Thanks for sharing. Hope y'all had a great trip!

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  3. This sounds GREAT!! I have lots of mint. I think a shot of vodka into the blender with the peaches.....

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  4. Danni - this sounds awesome and so easy! Why do I not know about it?? Pinning for Summer - love it. Yum!!!!

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  5. Love granitas ! Pinned {now to wait for our peach season!}

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  6. This sounds delish, Danni! I've never heard of granita either, but while I was reading how you make them, thought about adding some sort of alcohol to the mix. You mentioned doing that as an option near the end. I'll have to make some real soon!

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  7. I now know what I will be serving at the next book club meeting. Thank you from the Haystack Cats Book Club. That name, by the way, comes from the street most of us live on and the fact that getting everyone together is like herding cats! Anyone who has ever tried to get a pack of females to agree on anything will understand.

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  8. Oh that looks delicious...and you are right, those peaches do look beautiful. I had no idea you could freeze them. Very interesting.

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  9. Oh a big girl snow cone...I'm in :) Looks lovely Danni

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  10. Wow, I have never tried this, I didn't know it could be so easy. Beautiful, Danni!

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  11. Whew...I was getting worried until I hit the part about adding wine. Now THAT I can deal with. I happen to love Fetzer Riesling too. We call it Uncle Fester. And I've never heard of a Granita. My sister's name is Anita. If she got really big, I guess I'd call her Granita. That's all I got.

    Yummy!!
    -andi

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  12. That sounds wonderful! I love any excuse to use my food processor and this sounds like a good one. Thanks for the recipe. Pinning.

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  13. I've never heard of granita, either. Sounds great!

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  14. I've never heard of a granita either, but I love peaches!! A big girl snow cone?!! Looks great! This would go down real nice on these hot humid days we've been having lately.

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  15. I'm so jealous! Those peaches look delicious. I'll take a gallon of Big Girl Snowcone, please. Skip the wine and add some tequila for me.

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  16. I was not familiar with granitas until I read your post! This sounds so refreshing. My daughters would really like these, and I am intrigued with the "Big Girl" version :) Next hot summer day (I live in northern Calif., so it isn't always hot in the summer), I'll have to give these a spin. Thanks for sharing!
    Resa ~ Pitcher and Plate

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  17. I've never heard of a Granita - wow these look fabulous - ( or is that pic monkey lol ? )
    Pinning this on my things I need to try - it's so humid right now - that would be perfect!
    XOXO

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  18. Mmmmm... This looks luscious! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  19. Oh my gosh, this sounds heavenly especially with the wine. Gotta have mine with the wine.

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  20. I've never heard of a granita before - they look delicious! Of course, I'd try the "big girl version", too! :)

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  21. Can I put it on peach cobbler?

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  22. Peach granita sounds wonderful Danni!

    Anne xx

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  23. This sounds really yummy, Danni! I've never tried making granita but Texas peaches are in the markets right now and with our heat, this would be perfect! Thank you!!~~Ang

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  24. So simple yet so exotic. Impress your friends!

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  25. This looks delicious Danni. Had to forward this one to my sister. She is excited to try!

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  26. Mmmmmm!!!! So pretty and I bet it was so refreshing!

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  27. Yummers! Pinning & sharing! I have never had a granita! Great share!

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  28. Oh I'm getting thirsty! I've never had a granita, didn't even know what they were, but now I do, thanks, to you, Danni! Those peaches are beautiful and blow away any that I've seen in the stores around here. I can see why Campbell, MO can call bragging rights to their title. Hope you enjoy every peach! Already pinned ~ Amy

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  29. I'm so making this! I'll even pretend I knew what a granita was. I'm thinking raspberries would be fab!

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  30. This looks DELICIOUS Danni! Now I want peaches so I can make this! :) Hope you're having a great week!!

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