Plum Granita with 3 types of Plums (Vegan Treat)

Today I have another recipe review recipe for a Plum Granita. Granita is an Italian dessert made from fruits, sugar and spices that are pureed then frozen and served similar to a sorbet or an Italian Ice. If you are looking for a healthy and refreshing treat for the whole family this is it. It's also a great alternative to making ice cream because you don't need an ice cream maker and of course the calories will be much lower in the Granita than in ice cream.

The recipe come from Epicurious.com, and it is a great recipe for Granita beginners. When ever I try a recipe that isn't mine I usually end up tweaking it or adjusting it to my taste and this recipe was no different. You will notice the changes I've made with an * next to them. Also the recipe calls for one type of plum but I had 3 different types that I wanted to combine to see what it would taste like. The three plum varieties are Black Plums , your standard sweet and juice dark plum. The second type is a local Czech variety that is slightly sweet and slightly tart but still delicious called Damson Plums. The last or third type is Empress Plums also slightly tart and a bit dry. You will also notice that the recipe suggest topping the Granita with fresh fruit, I think it's a great idea I just ran out of fruit but maybe next time. Well on to the recipe, enjoy!



Plum Granita with Summer Fruit (adapted from epicurious.com )

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise *(substituted with 1tsp. Vanilla extract* )
1 1/2 pounds plums, preferably red-fleshed (about 7 large), pitted, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
*plus 1 Tbs. Plum wine

Fruit Toppings:
1 peach, pitted, thinly sliced
1 nectarine, pitted, thinly sliced
1 plum, pitted, thinly sliced

Instructions:

Combine water, sugar, allspice and cinnamon in heavy small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Cool syrup completely.

Puree 1 1/2 pounds plums in processor. Press enough puree through sieve to measure 1 1/2 cups. Strain syrup into puree and blend well.** I used all of the plum puree including the skins because I didn't want to be wasteful- But be warned that this may make the Granita a bit more tart so compensate with more sugar if you like** Transfer mixture to 9x5x3-inch glass loaf dish.

Freeze plum mixture until flaky crystals form, stirring every 30 minutes, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; keep frozen.)

Spoon granita into 4 glass goblets. Top with peach, nectarine and plum slices and serve immediately.