Ina Garten Sparkling Grapefruit Granita

Ina Garten sparkling grapefruit granita is a light, icy dessert with fresh pink grapefruit juice, rosé Champagne and a pinch of fleur de sel that takes 4 hours including freezing. It's an easy make-ahead dessert for dinner parties, winter holidays or New Year's Eve, and it needs only 4 ingredients.

Rake the granita with a fork every 30 minutes once it starts to freeze, because that is what breaks the ice into fluffy crystals. Skip the raking and you end up with one solid block of pink ice.

Ina Garten likes to serve a cheese course before dessert, so she wanted something light and refreshing to follow it. She mixes the granita ahead of time and freezes it a few hours before dinner, which keeps the evening easy.

Source: Cooking for Jeffrey (2016)

Ina Garten Sparkling Grapefruit Granita

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

190

kcal

Sweet-tart grapefruit and dry rosé Champagne freeze into delicate, snowy crystals with a faint hint of salt. Raking the mixture with a fork as it freezes turns it from a solid block into a fluffy, granular ice.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
  

• 2 cups freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (3 to 4 large grapefruits)
  

• 2 cups dry rosé Champagne
  

• 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel
  

Directions

• Make the syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves.
• Mix the base: Pour the hot syrup into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch non-metal baking dish. Stir in 2 cups grapefruit juice, 2 cups dry rosé Champagne and 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel.
• Start freezing: Carefully set the dish on a level surface in the freezer. Freeze it for 1 hour, until ice crystals begin to form around the edges.
• Rake the granita: Scrape the granita with a large dinner fork, then return it to the freezer. Repeat every 30 minutes until it is firm and granular, which can take as long as 3 hours.
• Serve: Spoon the frozen granita into pretty bowls or stemmed glasses. Serve it right away while the crystals are light and fluffy.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 3-quart saucepan, Zulay metal lemon squeezer, Le Saunier de Camargue fleur de sel. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make sparkling grapefruit granita ahead of time?

Yes, and this is one of the best make-ahead desserts I know. Prepare it 3 to 6 hours before serving, wrap it tightly and keep it in the freezer, then scrape it with a fork right before you serve.

Can I use bottled grapefruit juice instead of fresh?

Fresh juice from 3 to 4 large pink grapefruits tastes brighter and less sweet, so I would stick with it. If you do use bottled, pick one with no added sugar, since the syrup already sweetens the granita.

What can I use instead of rosé Champagne?

Any dry sparkling rosé or dry sparkling wine works in its place, and the color stays pretty. For an alcohol-free version, use sparkling water, though the granita will taste a little less rounded.

Why do I need a non-metal baking dish?

The grapefruit juice is acidic, and it can pick up a metallic taste from some metal pans. Glass or ceramic keeps the flavor clean and also works well for freezing.

Why did my granita freeze into one solid block?

That usually means it was not raked often enough. Scrape it with a fork every 30 minutes as it freezes. If it still sets hard, let it sit for a few minutes and break it up again before serving.