I’ve tried drinking beet water warm (too health-foodie), and making cocktails with it (altogether too weird), but using it to make a granita is divine. Sometimes I make this with less sugar to serve between rich courses. For dessert, I serve it with whipped cream. Remember, if you want to preserve beet water, either freeze it or pressure-can it. You cannot water-bath-process a non-acidified vegetable product.
Use less sugar to make a fine palate cleanser between rich courses. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 cups beet water
¾ cup sugar (or to taste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste)
Whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Directions
Combine the beet water and sugar in medium sized pot. Heat over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved take it off the heat. Chill the beet and sugar water in the fridge. Add the lemon juice, and pour the beet water into a pan that conducts cold well.
Place in the freezer and every 15 to 30 minutes, run the tines of a fork through the ice to break up the crystals. Over the course of 3 hours, the crystals will get small, dry, and crumbly.
For a very refined granita, pour into a food processor and pulse to grind the crystals. Then return the granita to the pan and continue to allow them to freeze, running the tines of the fork through it every fifteen minutes or so for another 30 minutes.
Serve plain, or in a glass with whipped cream.
