Monday, July 27, 2009

peachy peaches

peach granita

There were actually good peaches--tender, juicy, and tasting of peach--at the grocery store last week, and they only were $1.99/lb, so I bought a bunch of them with hopes of luring Rachael to my house with promises of ice cream. I'd actually intended to make peach sorbet (less fattening for calorie-conscious Rachael) after work, but it didn't quite turn out. I had my peach mixture all chilled in the refrigerator, met Rachael, went home and got the ice cream machine all set up, and then Rachael decided she needed some French fries first. We left the machine automatically stirring, hoping for the best, but when we got back it had stopped prematurely and the lid was broken. We had peach slushies, and I made the rest into granita the next day: granita has the advantage of not requiring an ice cream machine.

Peach Sorbet or Granita
makes a generous quart

2 1/2lb peaches, peeled and pitted
1/2C sugar
3T pink or white wine
2/3C water, brought to the boil with a bay leaf, then chilled

Whiz everything except the bay water in your blender till really smooth, then stick in the refrigerator till really cold. Whisk in the bay leaf water, then (for sorbet) run it all through your ice cream maker according to its directions. To make granita, pour the mixture into a shallow pan (8"x8" or so) and stick it in the freezer. Let it sit for an hour, then start giving it a good stir every half hour till it's a mass of nice big crystals. I stirred mine a little too frequently, so its crystals turned out on the small side.

If you want to use nectarines, and have a good blender, you needn't bother peeling them.

peach granita ii

1 comment:

joannamauselina said...

That looks like the perfect thing for a hot day.