this still didn’t seem to make even a dent in my two large baskets of peaches. The peaches sat on my dining table, perfuming my whole apartment, a constant reminder that I need to do something with them. I finally decided to freeze them, bags and bags of them. What I was going to then do with all these frozen peaches, I absolutely had no idea.

Last year when I came back from Italy, the thing that I craved above all else was the amazing fruit granitas that I had in Florence. Instead of the pasts, pizzas, and gelatos, I absolutely need to recreate these vibrant granitas. The thing that I found most interesting was that texture of these granitas were very different from the scraped chunky granitas of many recipes. I even have a delicious recipe employing this technique on this site already. What I had in Florence was finer, somewhere between this texture and a sorbet. It was surprisingly smooth, oh so luscious, but still definitely an ice. In addition to the texture, I also loved how pure and vibrant the fruit flavors were. So how to recreate these beautiful granitas ? I didn’t really know but I came home determined to figure it out.

So a couple months after I froze all those peaches, with my freezer absolutely bursting at the seams, I really needed to figure out what I was going to do with them. One evening after dinner I was craving something refreshing and dreaming of those granitas. I put a couple slices of frozen peaches right into a food processor with a splash of my favorite ginger beer just to see what would happen. And to my amazement there in front of me was the granita of my dreams. Other granita recipes start with the fresh fruit put through a blender before the freezing. This creates a watery mixture that needs to be scraped every 30 minutes or so during the freezing process. Who wants to camp out in front of their freezer? On top of that as freezing the fruit mixture mutes the natural flavors, there is usually additional sugar added in these recipes. With a tiny chronological change to the standard granita recipe, I have found a much easier and better(?) way of doing it. Freezing whole pieces of a fruit seems to concentrate and lock in that vibrancy.

For me this is not so much about a recipe and more about the technique so all the measurements here are approximations. You will see that you absolutely do not need to measure when making this. It is laughably easy. Also, I have been making the peach and rhubarb granitas separately, but I’m sure they would also be delicious mixed together. As it is so easy, I typically make this as needed but if you wanted to make a larger batch you can as well. Just don’t add the final splash of ginger beer, keep in the freezer. Before serving simply take it out 10-15 minutes beforehand. Feel free to try this with other fruit. I have done it with berries as well and will probably try it with some citrus segments later this year. Just try to stick with meatier fruits.

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F L O R E N T I N E  P E A C H  +  R H U B A R B  G R A N I T A  W /  G I N G E R  B E E R

for the peaches
peaches, the absolute best you can find peeled, cored, and divided into 6 wedges

for the rhubarb
10-15 rhubarb stems, sliced into 3 inch pieces
1-inch piece of ginger, sliced into chunks
3 tablespoons sugar

for the granita
ginger beer, my absolute favorite is Bundaberg

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prep the peaches
Prepare a large sheet tray with parchment paper. Place the peach wedges in a single layer on the tray and freeze. Once the peaches are fully frozen, you can move them into a bag. Use as needed. They will keep for many months.

roast the rhubarb
Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare a large sheet tray with parchment paper. Line up the rhubarb stems into a single layer, spread the ginger pieces around the tray, sprinkle evenly with sugar. In the sheet tray, toss the rhubarb, ginger, and sugar. Allow to sit for 30 minutes allowing the rhubarb to macerate.

Spread the rhubarb around the tray into an single layer. Roast for 20 minutes tossing once, until the juices are syrupy. Allow to cool completely. Place in the freezer until fully frozen.

for the granita
Into a food processor add about 4-5 slices of peaches per person, add in a generous splash (about 2 tablespoons) of ginger beer. Pulse the food processor. The first pulse is going to be a bit violent, don’t worry keep going. Add a bit more ginger beer if its too dry but just enough to get the machine going. Scrape the sides periodically. You are looking for a smooth thick texture. Serve immediately with an additional splash of ginger beer. Do the same for the rhubarb.

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