On the Gulf Coast, we get a beautiful (albeit short) spring before cool mornings and dazzling sunshine yield to the searing, unrelenting heat of summer. If you’ve never experienced July in Mobile (or New Orleans, or Tallahassee, or some other as-south-as-you-can-go-before-you-hit-water city), imagine going into the sauna at the spa and not being able to leave, even when your eyelashes start to sweat. A few things help us survive the onslaught of buggy, muggy 95-degree evenings: our gorgeous beaches, front porches (friends mandatory), air conditioning, and delightfully fresh and crisp wine like rosé and vinho verde. This Blackberry-Rosé Granita helps a bit, too.
I had a half bottle of rosé in my wine fridge (I know, I know, the horror of leftover wine. My husband generally won’t drink white or pink wines, and the struggle is real). Les Hauts Plateaux is a fruity, easy-to-drink rosé from Provence, and at between $9.99 and $11.99 a bottle, it’s a steal. It’s such a steal that I felt zero guilt about mixing it with lemon juice and simple syrup and tossing it in the freezer.
I love granitas. They’re refreshing and cool and delightfully icy on the tongue. This Blackberry-Rosé Granita is the quintessential summer dessert. You can flavor granitas in myriad ways, so their potential is practically infinite. One of my favorite combinations is watermelon and basil, but today’s is a little more high-octane. I needed to use up some blackberries, which turned out perfectly because they lent more color to the granita, a gorgeous blushing pink. Just in time for National Rosé Day (always the second Saturday in June) tomorrow, this is an easy, different, and delicious way to enjoy rosé.
Blackberry- Rosé Granita
Before there was "frosé", there was this cool, sweet treat that doesn’t require a blender. You can vary the fruit depending on what you have on hand; strawberries or raspberries would be delicious. You'll need to make a simple syrup, and to do this, simmer equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat for 10-15 minutes; turn it off when the mixture reduces and looks syrupy. Take it off the heat and add a handful of washed basil or mint (if using) and let sit until cool. Strain into a jar or bottle and keep in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 half of a 750 ml bottle of rosé
- 1 handful of blackberries
- 1/2 cup simple syrup plain or infused with mint or basil, if you like
- juice of half of a lemon
Instructions
Instructions
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With a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, smash the blackberries in a mug or jar. Pour them into a strainer over a bowl or measuring cup and pour the rosé over the blackberries.
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Discard the blackberry pulp or reserve for another use. Add lemon juice and simple syrup and stir. Pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze.
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Every 2-3 hours, take it out and mush it up with a fork, ensuring slushy, soft crystals. If you forget about it, you'll just have to work a lot harder to scrape it up at serving time, but it will nevertheless be delicious.
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Scoop into pretty serving dishes and garnish with herbs, if you like. Serve immediately.
