A Sunny Recipe: Meyer Lemon Granita Parfait: Sunshine in a Glass
December 14, 2009 by artandchel
The moment the Meyer lemon peel hit the microplane yesterday, Chelsea let out an “ohhhhhh, that smells good!” That’s the power of the Meyer lemon. It’s in season during the cold and dreary winter months, right when you need it most. There’s nothing better than the flowery aroma of its zest and juice. I began to appreciate citrus as a dominant flavor in dishes while living and cooking in San Francisco. Between the fog in Chicago this morning and the lingering smell of the Meyer lemons, I could have sworn that I had woken up in the city by the bay. Alas, the snow on the ground brought me back to reality.
Growing up, my favorite pies were lemon meringue and key lime, so it is only natural that I have come to love the way citrus can be used to define and create sophisticated sweet and savory dishes. While working with Chef George Morrone at the Fifth Floor in San Francisco I learned to “season” fresh fruit-juice granitas with fresh jalapeno. The granitas that we made there were for savory applications, but I enjoy marrying sweet and savory elements in desserts, as I did with this incredibly simple recipe. The fragrance of freshly grated Meyer lemon and jalapeno alone takes me back to a time when cooking in that great city was all about discovering the incredible food world that surrounded me.
Meyer Lemon Granita Parfait
Serves: 2 or 3 or 4, just depends
Ingredients
4 Meyer lemons
1 jalapeno
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
1 c. heavy cream
teaspoon of sugar
Granita method
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil to create a simple syrup. Let cool.
Remove zest from lemons with a microplane. Grate desired amount of jalapeno with microplane. Cut lemons in half, squeeze them, and strain the juice into a glass or metal dish that will fit in your freezer.
Add lemon zest, grated jalapeno, and simple syrup to the juice, and stir thoroughly. Taste the sweetened juice to gauge balance of sweet, sour, and spicy; add more grated jalapeno if desired.
Place dish in the freezer and leave alone for at least an hour. After an hour you can begin to scrape and stir the granita with a fork. Continue to scrape the granita every so often.
Whipped cream method
Begin whipping cream on medium-high speed. After the cream begins to froth slightly, slowly add a teaspoon of sugar and whip cream until it holds soft to medium peaks (milkshake consistency).
Assembly
Chill two parfait glasses in the freezer. Spoon some granita into each glass, top with whipped cream, and alternate with remaining granita and cream. Serve straightaway.
Advertisement
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave it to you guys to make my mouth water for a dessert that doesn’t even contain chocolate. Looks so delicious.
[...] Meyer Lemon Granita Recipe [...]