Mint Julep Granita

Granita is an Italian-style shaved ice. Think snow cone but softer and with the syrup already mixed in. In other words, better.

For brunch this past Sunday I created a menu with a loose Kentucky Derby theme. A big thanks for this goes to Kyle Leuken, who brought the best mint juleps to the brunch.

So after a meal of bread pudding, citrus salad, breakfast pizzas, and parfait almost everyone was filled to the brim, so it was good that dessert was basically just sweetened ice flakes. I think they were a success.

This is an easy dish to throw together so I really encourage you to give it a shot for your next weekend or 4th of July party.

Mint Julep Granita
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse’s Mint Julep Sorbet

3/4 c. sugar
2 c. water
1/2 c. fresh mint leaves
1/4 c. good bourbon
1/4 c. club soda

• In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, water, and mint to a boil to dissolve sugar. Turn heat off and let cool to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes. Add bourbon and club soda.
• Pour into a freezer safe container. It’s best here to have a wide, shallow dish such as a 13″x9″ glass baking pan. Put the dish in the freezer, uncovered.
• After 30 minutes, whisk the mixture, scraping down the sides of the dish to loosen up any frozen ice pieces. Return to the freezer uncovered.
• Twice more after 30 minutes repeat the whisking and scraping of the mixture. At this point the granita should be the texture of wet snow. Cover the dish and freeze for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
• Serve in a small bowl with mint sprigs and powdered sugar as garnish, both optional.

Enjoy, friends. Later this week, Brian will be giving everyone a recap of the brunch so stay tuned.