Pomegranate and Rose Granita

Pomegranate and Rose Granita
Rikki Snyder for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes, plus freezing
Rating
5(92)
Notes
Read community notes

The rose petals look lovely here, but don’t worry if you can’t get hold of any. With the pomegranate seeds there, the granita looks wonderful without them. Be sure to leave enough time for the liquid to properly freeze into crystals, about 8 to 10 hours.

Featured in: Yotam Ottolenghi: Eat Your Sugar

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • Scant ½ cup/90 grams granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar)
  • 3sprigs mint (5 grams)
  • 1⅔cup/400 milliliters 100-percent pomegranate juice (such as Pom)
  • ½teaspoon rose water
  • ¼cup/40 grams pomegranate seeds
  • 2teaspoons dried rose petals
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

102 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 7 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add sugar and 7 tablespoons/100 milliliters water to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Stir continuously, until sugar has dissolved and the liquid comes to the boil.

  2. Step 2

    Add mint, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

  3. Step 3

    Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain the syrup into a large bowl, pressing on the mint to extract the water. Discard the mint.

  4. Step 4

    Whisk the pomegranate juice and rose water into the syrup until combined. Pour into a container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until clumps form and the edges are solid. (The shallower the container, the shorter the freezing time.) Use a fork to separate the crystals and freeze for another 2 hours. Repeat with the fork again, scraping the tines across the frozen mixture, and continue this process until the liquid has frozen into separate crystals throughout, about 8 to 10 hours total.

  5. Step 5

    Just before serving, divide the granita between small glasses and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and rose petals.

Ratings

5 out of 5
92 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

When do you add the pomegranate seeds? Before freezing or after?

Can I use diluted pomegranate molasses instead of pomegranate juice? I prefer the flavour to that of the juice.

Thank you so much for your comment! We've adjusted the recipe to address your question. You'll want to sprinkle the seeds and rose petals onto the granita when you're ready to serve it. Hope that helps.

Step 5.

And if finding the rose petals is difficult, I was thinking that tucking a few small mint leaves into side of each serving for contrast might also make it look nice, picking up the mint infused earlier in the recipe.

When do you add the dried rose petals?...

How long will this last in the freezer?

I had neither rose petals nor rose water, so I put a big sprig of fresh rosemary, and good dash of red pepper flakes in the sugar/water mix. After steeping for 20' I sieved them out before blending the syrup with the pomegranate juice. It was better than I could have possibly imagined - sweet, tart, spicy and cold, with a strong but not overpowering essence of rosemary. I will definitely make it again.

Great dessert or palate cleanser. Love the mint and rose water. Pretty color.

This is superb! A great light desert to finish the meal, and dead simple to make.

Really wonderful! The mint in the simple syrup really added a nice flavor and the finished product had an excellent granita texture.

And if finding the rose petals is difficult, I was thinking that tucking a few small mint leaves into side of each serving for contrast might also make it look nice, picking up the mint infused earlier in the recipe.

Could this be served as a palate cleanser? IAC, what a windfall-doesn't get any better than Yotam Ottolenghi! That, in itself, is reason enough to subscribe to the NYT.

Could this be adapted to make in an electric ice cream maker?

This recipe appears to be incomplete because it does not say how or when to use the pomegranate seeds and rose petals.

Step 5.

Can you use pomegranate molasses instead of sugar and juice - and if so -- what would the adjustments be?

Can I use diluted pomegranate molasses instead of pomegranate juice? I prefer the flavour to that of the juice.

As pomegranate molasses is concentrated pomegranate juice this seems rather unnecessary.

When do you add the dried rose petals?...

What do I do with the dried rose petals and the pom seeds?

I agree. What to do with the seeds?

From the picture, it looks as though they are added just before serving?
I cannot wait to make this one.

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