GRANIZADO DE QUESO CON MANZANAS Y PILONCILLO

Granizado de Queso con Manzanas y Piloncillo image

Yield serves 6 to 8

Number Of Ingredients 10

3 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup queso fresco
3 tart, crisp apples, such as Crispin or Granny Smith
2 cups apple or pear cider
8 ounces piloncillo, chopped, or 1 cup dark brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses
1 (3-inch) piece Mexican cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Steps:

Combine the water and honey in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the honey is dissolved and the mixture reaches 160°F. Let cool for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Put the honey mixture and queso fresco in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a shallow nonreactive pan and put it in the freezer.
Once the edges start to freeze (about 1 hour), scrape lightly with a fork, bringing the ice crystals from the edges to the center. Return to the freezer and continue scraping every 30 minutes or so, until the mixture is completely frozen and looks like small ice flakes.
Meanwhile, peel the apples and dice finely. Combine the cider, piloncillo, and cinnamon in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat and simmer until the syrup has thickened and has a consistency like maple syrup. Whisk in the butter and salt. Remove from the heat and stir in the apples. Let chill to room temperature.
For each serving, mound about 1/2 cup of the cheese granita into a glass or cup. Drizzle about 4 tablespoons of the apple syrup over the granita and top with 1 tablespoon of the pecans. Serve immediately.