plum and jasmine tea granita
Check out my new favorite summer dessert. Granita is basically shaved ice, and you can make it with fruit, booze, and even coffee. I used squishy-ripe, beautifully colored plums this time around, but any kind of pureed fruit will do. And you can of course use plain water or some other liquid instead of tea. My David Lebovitz ice cream book also says that in Sicily, they scoop coffee granita into brioche buns for breakfast, which sounds heavenly for warm, groggy mornings.
(makes 2 servings)
3/4 cup hot water (I turn the kettle off right before it starts actually boiling)
1 heaping teaspoon jasmine tea (or one teabag)
2 tablespoons sugar
8 small (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) plums
Steep tea in hot water for 3 minutes. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Let cool.
Meanwhile, puree pitted, unpeeled plums in a blender or food processor. Add tea.
Pour mixture into a small dish that is about 2 inches deep (I used a plastic tupperware type container that is about 8 by 5 inches). Place in the freezer for about 45 minutes, then check on it. The top and edges should be starting to freeze. Scrape with a fork and make it all slushy. Put it back in the freezer and repeat the scraping-with-fork part every 30 minutes or so, until the whole thing is mostly frozen. I got impatient (and it was getting late), so mine looks a little softer/more watery than the way this sort of thing usually goes.
