Cranberry-Jalapeño Granita

Courtesy of Cooking Light

During these hot summer months, keeping cool is everyone’s number one priority. Particularly in Texas, we are in constant need of chilling refreshment to keep us from remembering the searing heat that surely awaits us outside. The fastest way to cool yourself down (besides sticking your head in the fridge) is to consume something icy. Nothing beats the heat quite the same as chowing down a delicious, crisp snow cone. But before you pump your blood full of high fructose corn syrup, consider an alternative, sophisticated enough to squelch the heat and dazzle your taste buds. As a new dessert, I decided to try a Cranberry-Jalapeño granita, which is basically a grown up snow cone. But the great thing about this recipe is that you can make it with any juice and add-ins that you choose, the combination possibilities are endless! I went with the Cooking Light magazine recipe and was overwhelmed by the unique combination of mint and jalepeno. Normally I am not the biggest fan of jalapeño, but in this dish it brings out the most powerful flavors in the mint and the cranberry juice, without the bitter kick. This frozen concoction takes you by surprise, but the ending is delightful! It is icy and refreshing without being syrupy and unhealthy; I will most assuredly be using different juices and herbs to see what I can create from this basic and simple recipe.

Ingredients
· 2 cups cranberry juice
· 1/3 cup sugar
· 4 (5-inch) mint sprigs (about 1/2 ounce)
· 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
· 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Strain cranberry mixture through a collander into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish; discard solids. Cool to room temperature; stir in lime juice. Cover and freeze for about 45 minutes. Stir cranberry mixture every 45 minutes until completely frozen (about 3 hours). Remove mixture from freezer; scrape entire mixture with a fork until fluffy. Enjoy!