California Strawberry Granita with Marinated Berries
Description
Yield: 24 servings
Ingredients
Granita
- 1 pound, 12 ounces sugar
- 4 cups water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 pounds, 12 ounces stemmed California strawberries
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- dash salt
Cookie cups
- 13 ounces blanched almonds
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 6½ ounces butter
- 6 ounces sugar
- 1½ tablespoons anisette
- 4¼ ounces all-purpose flour
Marinated berries
- 2 pounds, 12 ounces stemmed California strawberries
- 8 ounces blueberries, raspberries or blackberries
- 4 ounces brown sugar
- ⅔ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup cointreau
- sweetened whipped cream (optional) as needed
Procedures
Granita
- In saucepan combine sugar, water and cinnamon sticks.
- Bring to boil, stirring; boil 1 minute.
- Cool.
- Puree strawberries in food processor or blender until smooth.
- Strain out seeds in fine sieve.
- In chilled hotel pan thoroughly mix strawberry puree, lemon juice, salt and enough of the cooled sugar syrup to balance strawberry flavor.
- Place in freezer.
- As mixture begins to freeze, chip the frozen portion with the tines of a fork every 30 to 45 minutes until no liquid remains.
- Place in airtight container, cover and store in freezer up to 2 weeks.
Cookie cups
- In food processor grind almonds medium-fine.
- Place in sieve; shake out dust.
- In saucepan over low heat combine corn syrup, butter and sugar.
- Stir until butter and sugar is completely melted.
- Remove from heat.
- Mix in anisette, and then flour to blend thoroughly.
- Portion rounded tablespoonfuls of batter onto parchment-lined sheet pans, spacing apart, and flatten slightly (each cookie will be about 5 inches in diameter when baked).
- Bake in 350°F oven about 6 to 8 minutes until evenly golden brown.
- Cool slightly; lift with spatula and shape into pointed cups in 6-ounce martini glasses (if cookies cool too much to shape, return to oven for a minute or two to soften).
- When cups are hard and cool, store in an airtight container up to three days.
Marinated berries
- Combine ingredients in bowl at least 15 minutes before serving.
- For each serving to order:.
- Place cookie cup in martini glass; fill with ½ cup granita and top with ⅓ cup marinated berries.
- Top with whipped cream, if desired.