Lemon granita with ice cream maker

There are few things more refreshing when the heat is on than a slush, and if it's homemade and lemony, I won't even mention it. To start and not to stop!

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

I have been making ice cream, sorbets and granitas at home for a long time now, and in my humble opinion the best product is an ice cream maker with a freezable bowl, such as the KitchenAid ice cream attachment . It is very easy to use, you just have to remember to pre-freeze the bowl the night before, and it churns your ice cream, sorbets and granitas to perfection if you follow the instructions. Before I had the KitchenAid I had a stand-alone ice cream maker with a motor and a freezable bowl, but the KitchenAid attachment works like a charm, it has definitely changed for the better. I am delighted.

This lemon sorbet or granita recipe is very classic: lemon juice mixed with a simple syrup and blended in the ice cream maker until it thickens. The addition of a little liqueur helps to soften it by reducing the freezing temperature (which reduces the size of the ice crystals that form), but you can leave it out if you don't want to add alcohol, and the granita will still be good.

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

Ingredients

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

Elaboration

1. Put the sugar and water in a saucepan ; bring to the boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. When the syrup is cold, grate the lemon zest and add it to the syrup. Squeeze out the indicated amount of juice and add it as well.
3. Mix well and leave overnight in the refrigerator. Remember to freeze the bowl in the refrigerator as well.
4. The next day, strain the granita/sorbet mixture if you don't want to find the lemon zest (although if you've grated it finely with a good grater it's not a bother). Add the limoncello, if using.
5. Prepare the ice cream maker by placing the previously frozen bowl on its pedestal, inserting the blade into the ice cream maker and snapping the ice cream attachment that connects the blade to the KitchenAid motor into place. Lower the ice cream maker head, fit the attachment onto the blade and start the machine. Slowly pour in the lemon mixture and allow it to freeze; it will take at least 10 minutes for a slush; a little longer if you want to make a sorbet.
6. When you have the desired consistency, stop the machine. Remove the blades and remove the granita from them with a spatula .
7. Serve the lemon slush immediately in small glasses , using cute straws.
8. If you want to make sorbet, pour the soft sorbet into an airtight container and place it in the freezer to firm it up, or eat it as is, as a soft sorbet.
9. If you over-freeze it or leave the sorbet in the fridge for several days (up to 3 days, don't leave it longer because it starts to crystallise), first very carefully put it in the microwave on the defrost setting, checking the consistency every so often until you can form balls with an ice cream scoop .

If you want to flavour the sorbet with some herbs, you can put a sprig in the mixture before blending it, while it rests in the fridge. A subtle touch of some aromatic herb is perfect for the lemon granita. Go for it.