Lemon granita with ice cream maker

Few things are more refreshing when the heat is on than a granita, and if it's homemade and lemon, I won't even tell you anymore. To start and not stop!

Sorbets and granitas differ from ice creams, in general, in that they do not contain dairy products (or eggs in the case of ice creams), so they are much less creamy and tend to produce a more icy sensation. But for that very reason they are perfect for the heat.

I've been making ice cream, sorbets and granitas at home for a long time, and in my humble opinion the device that gives the best results is an ice cream maker that has a freezable bowl, such as the KitchenAid ice cream accessory . It's so easy to use, you just have to remember to pre-freeze the bowl the night before, and it will butter ice creams, sorbets and slushies to perfection if you follow the instructions. Before having the KitchenAid I had a freestanding refrigerator with a motor and a freezer bowl, but the KitchenAid accessory works like a charm, the change has been for the better without a doubt. I'm delighted.

This lemon slushie or sorbet recipe is very classic: lemon juice mixed with a simple syrup and beaten in the fridge until thickened. The addition of a little liquor helps to soften it because it reduces the freezing temperature (which reduces the size of the ice crystals that form), but you can do without it if you don't want to add alcohol, the granita is equally good.

To consume it in a glass , as a granita, we can serve it fresh out of the freezing bowl, as a very soft sorbet to our liking. And if we want to turn it into a sorbet, all we have to do is speed up the freezing and put it in the freezer for a while to give it more firmness.

Ingredients

• 260g of sugar
• 250g of water
• 400ml lemon juice
• The zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon limoncello (optional)

Elaboration

1. Put the sugar and water in a saucepan ; Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. When the syrup is cold, grate the lemon skin and add it to the syrup. Squeeze the amount of juice indicated and add it anyway.
3. Mix well and leave overnight in the fridge. Remember to also freeze the bowl in the fridge.
4. The next day, strain the slushie/sorbet mixture if you don't want to find the lemon zest (although if you have grated it finely with a good grater it is not annoying). Add the limoncello, if using it.
5. Prepare the refrigerator, placing the previously frozen bowl on its pedestal, insert the blade inside it and press-fit the accessory for the ice cream that joins the blade with the KitchenAid motor. Lower the head, fit the accessory into the blade and start the machine. Gradually pour in the lemon mixture and let it freeze; It will take at least 10 minutes for a granita; something else if you want to get sorbet.
6. When you have the desired consistency, stop the machine. Extract the blades and detach the granita from them with a spatula .
7. Serve the lemon granita immediately in small glasses , with some pretty straws.
8. If you want to make sorbet, pour the soft sorbet into an airtight container and put it in the freezer to firm up or eat it just like that, as a soft sorbet.
9. If you go beyond frozen or if you leave the straw in the fridge for several days (up to 3 days, do not leave it any longer because it begins to crystallise), first pass it very carefully through the microwave on the defrosted function, checking the consistency every so often until it is frozen. can be formed into balls with an ice cream scoop .

If you want to aromatize the sorbet with some herb, you can put a sprig in the mixture before beating it, during the previous rest in the fridge. A subtle touch of some aromatic goes like a glove to the lemon granita. Go ahead.