Granité

The most important characteristic of a granité is its texture. In Italy there are at least three different styles: chunky and grainy, smooth (almost like a sorbet), and one that is a combination of both. The final texture is not written in stone and is more of a personal preference, but consider the following. In order to obtain a granité in which the ingredients are uniformly dispersed, scraping should be performed at even intervals of time before the liquid freezes too much. The more the liquid freezes without being scraped, the larger the ice crystals will be, and the flavors and sugar, which are heavier than water, tend to settle at the bottom of the pan. This process creates an insipid layer of ice on top and a very sweet layer of slushy syrup at the bottom. In order to obtain a pleasant, even flavor, it is necessary to scrape often, and this will result in fine, small ice crystals.