Granitas are a great way to finish a meal. The refreshing ice crystals will cleanse your palate leaving you feeling cool on a hot summer's day.

Ingredients | Serves 6

For the granita

• 220g sugar
• 750ml pink champagne
• 500ml water
• 1 lemon
  
  

For the garnish

Mint leaves

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This is a really easy dessert to make; it can be made in advance and will keep in the freezer for 2 months. It’s great served on fresh fruit although in the restaurant I serve it in a shot glass as a palate cleanser between courses.

To make the granita, place the water and sugar into a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then take it off the heat and leave to cool. When cool, pop open the bottle of pink champagne and add to the cool sugar syrup, add the juice of the lemon, whisk everything together and tip into a plastic container.

Place a lid on and put into the freezer. For the first 4 hours take out the granita every hour and with a fork mash the ice crystals together to stop then forming into one big block, it’s good to break them into as little pieces as possible. After the fourth time of scraping and mixing leave in the freezer until needed.

To Serve

Take the granita out of the freezer and using a fork scrape the crystals and break them up. Spoon into a bowl, garnish with a few mint leaves and serve straight away before it melts.

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