Bon Appetit Desserts (132 page)

Strain mint syrup through sieve set over bowl, pressing on mint leaves. Discard mint leaves in sieve. Mix bourbon, crème de menthe, and minced mint into mint syrup. Process sorbet mixture in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sorbet to airtight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

Freeze 4 parfait glasses 1 hour. Scoop sorbet into frozen glasses. Garnish with mint sprigs; serve immediately.

White Russian Sorbet

The coffee and cream flavors of a White Russian cocktail make a delicious frozen dessert. Scoop the sorbet into glass coffee mugs and garnish each serving with a coffee bean (plain or chocolate covered). To turn this into a granita, see Granita Style (page 465)—but mix only an additional half cup of water into the sorbet mixture and serve in frozen coffee cups.
4 servings

1¾ cups water

½ cup sugar

3½ teaspoons instant espresso powder

1 tablespoon dark corn syrup

½ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup vodka

¼ cup Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur

Coffee beans

Stir 1¾ cups water and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add espresso powder and stir to dissolve. Pour into medium bowl. Mix in corn syrup, then cream, vodka, and Kahlúa. Refrigerate mixture until cold, about 2 hours.

Process sorbet mixture in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sorbet to airtight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

Freeze 4 coffee cups 30 minutes. Scoop sorbet into frozen cups. Garnish with coffee beans and serve immediately.

Strawberry Granita with Whipped Cream

This easy summer ice has a berry sweetness that’s perfectly paired with a dollop of rich whipped cream.
6 to 8 servings

1 pound strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 1⅔ cups)

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1½ cups cold water

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Puree strawberries, sugar, and salt in processor until smooth. Add 1½ cups cold water and lemon juice and process to blend. Strain into 8×8×2-inch metal baking pan. Cover with foil and place in freezer. Stir with fork every hour until frozen, about 4 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

Using fork, scrape granita until entire mixture is mass of crystals. Return to freezer. Beat cream until firm peaks form. Divide whipped cream among dishes. Spoon granita over and serve immediately.

Honeydew Bellini Granita with Minted Raspberries

Both the granita and the raspberry topping have a splash of Prosecco, Italian sparkling wine. The recipe calls for using a large baking pan so that the melon mixture will freeze quickly. But if you don’t have room in your freezer, just use a smaller pan and chill it longer.
8 servings

½ large ripe honeydew melon, seeded, peeled, cut into 1½-inch cubes (about 2½ pounds)

½ cup chilled Prosecco, divided

4½ tablespoons (about) sugar, divided

2 5.6-ounce containers raspberries

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint plus 8 fresh mint sprigs

Puree melon in processor until smooth. Strain through fine strainer into large bowl, pressing gently to extract 2½ cups juice; discard solids in strainer. Mix ¼ cup Prosecco into melon juice. Stir 3 tablespoons sugar into juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, to sweeten to taste (mixture should be sweet). Transfer mixture to 13×9×2-inch metal baking pan and freeze until slushy, about 30 minutes. Stir with fork and continue to freeze until set, about 45 minutes longer.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep frozen.

Gently toss raspberries, minced mint, remaining ¼ cup Prosecco, and remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar in large bowl to coat.

Using fork, scrape granita until entire mixture is mass of crystals. Spoon granita into goblets or glasses and top with raspberry mixture. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Red and Green Grape Granitas with Muscat and Frozen Sugared Grapes

A truly gorgeous dessert: Red and green granitas are spooned over Muscat wine and topped with small clusters of frozen sugared grapes. If you prefer, you can also serve the granitas separately.
6 servings

⅔ cup water

⅔ cup sugar

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

3 cups green seedless grapes, stemmed (about 1 pound)

3 cups red seedless grapes, stemmed (about 1 pound)

6 small grape clusters (about 3 grapes per cluster)

2 tablespoons plus ¾ cup chilled Muscat

Additional sugar

Combine ⅔ cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute. Cool syrup. Stir in lemon juice.

Puree green grapes and half of lemon syrup in blender (some bits of grape peel will remain). Transfer to 13×9×2-inch metal baking pan. Puree red grapes and remaining lemon syrup in blender. Transfer to another 13×9×2-inch metal baking pan. Freeze 1 hour. Stir with fork every hour until frozen, about 4 hours.

Meanwhile, dip grape clusters into 2 tablespoons Muscat to moisten, then dip grapes into additional sugar to coat. Place grapes on small tray and freeze until frozen, about 4 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Granitas and grapes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and keep frozen.

Using fork, scrape granita until entire mixture is mass of crystals. Pour 2 tablespoons Muscat into each of 6 wide wineglasses. Divide green grape granita among glasses. Spoon red grape granita alongside green grape granita in each glass. Garnish each with sugared grape cluster and serve.

Spiced Apple Cider Granita with Ginger Whipped Cream

Apple cider is steeped with allspice and cloves and sweetened with brown sugar before it’s frozen into an icy treat. For the very best flavor, look for fresh apple cider in the fall at your local farmers’ market.
6 servings

4 cups apple cider

⅔ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

20 whole allspice