Black Currant Granita (Printable Version)

Tangy black currants transformed into a crystalline frozen dessert with refreshing Italian flair.

# Components:

→ Fruit

01 - 3 cups fresh or frozen black currants

→ Sweetener

02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Liquid

03 - 1 2/3 cups water
04 - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

# Preparation steps:

01 - Rinse the black currants thoroughly. If using fresh currants, remove stems.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine the black currants, sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the currants burst, approximately 10 minutes.
03 - Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
04 - Puree the mixture using a blender or immersion blender until smooth.
05 - Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing to extract as much juice as possible. Discard seeds and skins.
06 - Stir in the lemon juice.
07 - Pour the strained mixture into a shallow metal baking dish.
08 - Place in the freezer. After 45 minutes, use a fork to scrape and break up any icy edges. Return to the freezer.
09 - Every 30 to 45 minutes, scrape and fluff the mixture with a fork until the granita is fully frozen and fluffy, approximately 4 hours total.
10 - Serve immediately in chilled glasses or bowls.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes far more elegant and complex than the handful of ingredients suggests, making guests think you've done something way more complicated than you actually have.
  • No ice cream machine required, which means no special equipment cluttering your freezer or cabinet.
  • The whole thing comes together in under five hours, and most of that is passive freezer time while you do literally anything else.
02 -
  • The scraping and fluffing step isn't optional fussiness—it's what separates granita from a frozen block. Skipping these intervals will give you something closer to a sorbet or frozen slush, which isn't bad, but it's not the granita experience.
  • A shallow dish makes all the difference; if you use a tall container, you'll end up with a dense frozen layer on top and liquid on the bottom, which is frustrating and defeats the whole purpose.
03 -
  • Use a metal baking dish rather than ceramic or glass; it conducts cold more efficiently and gives you more control over the freezing process.
  • If you're worried about timing the scrape-and-fluff routine, set phone reminders—I learned this the hard way after forgetting and ending up with a brick of frozen juice instead of granita.
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