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