In the Oven: Lemon Lime Champagne Granita

First recipe of 2014 is for Jan 5th. Who’s in?

LEMON LIME CHAMPAGNE GRANITA

Yield: 4 servings

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups champagne
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Zest and juice of 1 lime
5 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish (optional, but perfect for summer)

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. This is your simple syrup base. Allow the simple syrup to cool completely.

In a separate bowl whisk together the champagne, the zest and juice of the lemons and the lime, and the mint leaves (you are either a fresh mint person or not—if you like it, you will love it in this recipe). Whisk in the simple syrup and pour the mixture directly into an 8-inch square metal baking pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and put in the freezer.

Every hour, use a fork to scrape or stir the mixture, breaking up any large pieces of ice; continue checking and scraping every hour until the granita is completely frozen, about 6 hours. Use the tines of the fork to scrape the granita into fluffy flakes. Divide the granita among 4 glasses, discarding the mint leaves. Garnish with new mint leaves and serve immediately with small spoons. The effect should be snow cone–like.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.