Recipe: three granitas for summer

Elderflower, cucumber and gin granita

This is a very English granita, if such a thing is not contradictory, says Jacob Kenedy. You could serve it with finger sandwiches.

• Makes about 1 litre, serves 5-8
• 4 large cucumbers
• 100ml gin
• 75ml elderflower cordial
• 180g caster sugar
• possibly a little water

Method

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• Juice the cucumbers (with their skins): if you have a juicer, so much the better. If not, grate them finely or puree them in a food processor, then strain through a sieve or muslin into a measuring jug, twisting and squeezing hard to extract all the juice.
• Stir together the cucumber juice with the gin, elderflower cordial and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Check the volume is a litre – if short, make it up with water.
• Transfer the mixture to a wide dish and put it in the freezer. Once it starts to freeze at the edges, every 10-15 mins stir it with a fork or whisk it, until the mixture is almost completely frozen and icy (this will take a long time – perhaps 4 hours). It is ready to serve in this slightly wet, sludgy state.
• To keep it longer, let it freeze solid, then before serving take it out to thaw for 20 mins or so, breaking it up with a fork. (Chill your serving glasses for at least 20 mins in the freezer before you serve.)

Aperol granita

This granita is a homage to the omnipresent spritz – the Veneto’s gift to the world. You can substitute the Aperol with Campari or Aperitivo Select.

• Makes about 1 litre, serves 5-8
• 500ml prosecco (or dry white wine)
• 300ml Aperol
• 200ml water
• 100g caster sugar

Method

• In a bowl, stir all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved.
• Then follow the same method as for the previous recipe.

Variations:

You could use white port, red ruby port or medium sherry instead of Aperol and then also replace the prosecco with tonic water. Or replace both the Aperol and prosecco with sparkling moscato d’Asti.

Strawberry granita

Freezing strawberries first, as here, gives you a path to a five-minute cheat’s granita.

• Makes about 800ml, serves 4-6
• 500g frozen strawberries
• 250ml chilled water 100g
• caster sugar

To serve

• 150ml whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks with 1 tbsp caster sugar

Method

• Chill your serving glasses for at least 20mins in the freezer before you begin.
• Put the frozen strawberries, water and sugar in a blender and blend to a slushy consistency.
• Serve straight away in the frozen glasses, topped with the sweetened whipped cream, if you like.

Taken from Gelupo Gelato by Jacob Kenedy, published by Bloomsbury at £14.99. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £11.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.