Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Granita with Basil

There is a long running joke in my family and among my friends.

You see, sometimes I get teased for the way I pronounce words.

I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I talk so fast that I get tongued tied and that sometimes I transpose my words.

And of course this Texas accent has a bit to do with the way I talk. I mean just saying the word ‘talk’ has a long drawn out tangy “L” in it; as do most of my words.

But then there are words that, for the life of me, I just.can’t.say.

Like vidalia as in vidalia onion. And believe it or not cinnamon was very difficult for the longest time.

And Granita. FYI: said grə-ˈnē-tə.

But I guess it’s a good thing that I write a blog. And that all these words are written and not spoken!
 

And it’s a good thing that I write specifically a food blog; because when one of these hard to say words come up in casual conversation (or a cooking demo to a large group of strangers… you know whateves) all I can do is crack a joke, laugh, make a big batch of delicious granita and shrug it off. 

Oh and of course share the tasty results with you!

This Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Granita with Basil is totally a grown up snow cone, and will be the hit at all those summer dinner parties. Roasting the strawberries intensifies their flavor, while the balsamic vinegar adds a nice robust layer with and light and refreshing undertone of earthy basil.

I mean seriously people… grə-ˈnē-tə. Say it. Own it. Make it. Eat it!

One Year Ago: Banana Bread French Toast with Southern Butter Pecan Syrup
Two Years Ago: Greek Chicken Pita Pockets
Three Years Ago: Chili Meatball Subs
Four Years Ago: Memphis Style BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Five Years Ago: French Onion Pork Chops

Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Granita with Basil 
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Printable Version 
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Wait Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Yields: approximately 3-4 cups

An icy Italian dessert with intense roasted strawberries, robust balsamic vinegar and flowery basil. 

Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries
½ cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup water
¼ cup fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thoroughly wash and dry strawberries. Remove stems from strawberries and slice in half. Place strawberries in a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup sugar and balsamic vinegar. Place strawberries on a large baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, water and basil in a small saucepan. Heat sugar water mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is fully dissolved. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Remove basil from the cooled simple syrup. Combine roasted strawberries, plus their juices, and the basil infused simple syrup in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into 13×9-inch nonstick metal baking pan. Freeze until ice froms around edges, about 20 minutes. Run a fork through partially frozen granita. Return granita to the freezer and freeze until mixture is frozen, stirring with a fork every 15 to 20 minutes, for 1-2 hours.

Using fork, scrape granita into flaky crystals. Cover tightly and freeze. Granita can be made 1-2 days ahead and kept frozen in an air tight freezer safe container.

Serve garnished with fresh strawberries or basil leaves.

Other recipes you might enjoy:
Mixed Berry Ice Cream
Paradise Granita
Strawberry Banana Sherbet
Sour Apple Popsicles 
Chocolate Covered Banana Popsicles