Best Cucumber And Riesling Granita Recipes
CUCUMBER GRANITA RECIPE
Who doesn't love a cucumber?Picklers, slicers, green or yellow, smooth or bumpy, thin- or thick-skinned, chubby Kirbys, little cornichons, English, Japanese, Persian. Good thing then that with the impending heat comes cucumber season.They peak with the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and those other cucurbits, squashes and melons, but among all these, cucumbers are the most like Johnny Depp -- very, very cool. With their refreshing herbaceous flavor and their snappy crunch, cucumbers are exactly what we want to eat right now -- still (they've been cultivated for more than 3,000 years).And they lend themselves to the way we want to cook right now too -- with a sort of easy abandon, pureed in soups, chopped into salsas, sliced into salads. A favorite two-sentence recipe for cucumber, mango and red onion salad from Alice Waters' "Chez Panisse Vegetables" goes like this: "Peel and thinly slice cucumbers, mango and sweet red onion -- about the same of each, but exact proportions do not matter at all. Season to taste with freshly squeezed lime juice and salt, and garnish generously with cilantro leaves."Chopped into yogurt, you have raita for spicy Indian dishes. Or sliced, with a little white vinegar, sugar, salt and green onions, they're more Hapsburg Empire, served with cold poached salmon or chicken.Cucumbers' flavor is often described as mild, yet it's distinct enough to hold its own, slightly sweet and slightly bitter. It's great featured in chilled soups such green gazpacho or Russian okroshka. Cool, creamy yogurt (or creme fraiche!) -- as with the raita -- is a no-brainer for cucumbers. (Dress sliced cucumbers with yogurt, stir in some dill, cilantro, basil, chervil or chives, and serve with cured salmon.) And for a chilled soup, cucumbers and yogurt couldn't be better matched, spiked with a little garlic and a touch of white wine vinegar and garnished with crunchy radishes and grains of sea salt.Their light sweetness really comes out in a beautiful and elegant cucumber and crab salad. The tender crab is a little sweet too and is tossed with herbs and shallots and a little lemon juice.The cucumbers are sliced lengthwise into ribbons on a mandoline, and the slices are arranged architecturally -- forming layers between the crab, sort of like a napoleon, but looser, more floppy, more ... summery.And what makes a better palate cleanser than a cucumber granita? Icy cool with a hint of sugar and some cracked black pepper, it's perfect for a hot, hot day. The flavor of the cucumber shines through the sweet and the spice.For dessert? If you were Providence pastry chef Adrian Vasquez, it would be a timbale of Greek yogurt and honey panna cotta with cucumber gelee and cucumber "noodles" with cantaloupe sherbet.
Provided by Betty Hallock
Categories VEGETARIAN, APPETIZERS
Time 10m
Yield Serves 6 to 8
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Peel two of the cucumbers but leave the peel on the third cucumber for color. Rinse the cucumbers to remove any residue or dirt.
- Trim the ends off the cucumbers and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumbers into 2-inch chunks and puree them in a blender or food processor along with one-fourth cup water. Add the lime juice, sugar, pepper and salt.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Spoon the granita into a chilled glass dish until it is firm enough to hold its shape. Serve a small scoop in a bowl as a palate refresher between courses.
CUCUMBER AND RIESLING GRANITA
Pair this refreshing granita with fresh fruit for a light dessert, or serve it as a palate cleanser, or intermezzo, between courses.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Wash cucumbers, and pass through a juicer. Place in an 8-inch square metal baking pan, and add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, and place in the freezer, uncovered, 1 hour; remove from freezer, and stir with a fork.
- Return to freezer until mixture is frozen and granular, about 3 hours, stirring every 30 to 45 minutes. Serve, or cover with plastic wrap, and store in the freezer up to 2 weeks.
CUCUMBER AND SAKE GRANITA
Provided by Matt Lee And Ted Lee
Categories appetizer
Time 20m
Yield Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or tiny middle course
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a blender, purée the sugar and 1/4 cup water on high for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides, let rest for a minute and then purée again for 30 seconds.
- Add the cucumbers, melon, lime juice, sake and a pinch of salt. Purée the mixture until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large baking dish. Freeze the mixture. Scrape with a fork until light and fluffy, like fresh snow. Serve in small bowls or glasses, topped with a light sprinkle of sea salt and shiso leaf.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 59, UnsaturatedFat 0 grams, Carbohydrate 13 grams, Fat 0 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 351 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams
CUCUMBER GRANITA
This is a simple little frozen miracle. It can transform a bowl of gazpacho into an epicure's delight. Placed in a margarita glass with some mint and/or basil leaves, it is a perfect little palate cleanser. Or it can be the perfect little addition to a bloody mary or similar cocktail. Use an ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop to scrape it up into perfect little balls. Cooking time is freezing time and is a guesstimate.
Provided by Chef Kate
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h45m
Yield 2 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut the cucumbers into chunks.
- Puree the cucumbers in a blender (or use an immersion blender) with the lemon juice, onion, green pepper, salt, mint, oil and water. This makes about 2 1/2 cups puree.
- Pour the cucumber puree into two 9-inch metal cake pans. Freeze.
- To serve, remove the granita from freezer 5 minutes before serving. Use a fork to scrape the ice into mounds. Add the scraped ice to the gazpacho immediately before serving. Or use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to make small balls of granita to garnish cocktails, cold soup or just as a palate cleanser.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 191.4, Fat 16.5, SaturatedFat 2.4, Sodium 938, Carbohydrate 11.8, Fiber 1.8, Sugar 5.4, Protein 1.9
CUCUMBER AQUAVIT GRANITA
This granita is not particularly sweet and is best served as a first or intermezzo course. Try it on top of raw oysters or thick tomato slices.
Yield Makes about 6 cups
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Coarsely chop enough of cucumbers to measure 4 1/2 cups and purée in a blender with remaining ingredients in 2 batches until smooth. Pour into an 8- to 9-inch baking pan.
- Freeze, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every hour, until evenly frozen, about 4 hours total. Scrape with a fork to lighten texture, crushing any lumps.
- Serve immediately or freeze, covered, up to 3 days (rescrape to lighten texture again if necessary).
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