I’m having someone over for dinner on Tuesday night and I’m making a five-course meal for the both of us. I decided to start early and make as much as I can before Tuesday. This will be the fourth-course to our five-course meal, the palate cleanser.
[100% organic]
For the Strawberry Consommé Gelée
- Half carton of strawberries
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon bark
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 large lemons, juiced
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 gelatin sheets
Remove tops and stems of strawberries, cut them into quarters and place them into a medium saucepan. Add all the other ingredients except for gelatin sheets. Bring mixture to a simmer and let strawberries macerate for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let mixture cool and infuse for at least 2 hours.
Bloom gelatin in ice water. Strain strawberry mixture and return back to heat in a clean saucepan. Whisk in gelatin and make sure gelatin has melted. Pour into little cups or molds sprayed with Pam. Let gelée set in fridge.
For the Mixed Berry Granita
- Half package frozen mixed berries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced
Make simple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat: combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil and carefully stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool over an ice bath.
Blend berries in a blender until smooth. Then mix with the cooled sugared water and lemon juice. Pour berry mixture into a shallow pan and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove and scrape the crystallized berry purée from the sides of the pan and return to the freezer. Repeat this process every 45 minutes, until completely frozen or for about 4 hours.
TO ASSEMBLE
You can present this in different ways. Serve by fluffing granita with a fork.
