Recipe for Raspberry and Beaujolais Granita

Save this grown-up dessert for the adults; the kids will be just as happy with fudge pops, anyway. Fresh raspberries and the lush flavor of Beaujolais red wine combine for a cooling treat.

A granita has a crystallized texture that is less smooth than a sorbet.

RASPBERRY AND BEAUJOLAIS GRANITA

Start to finish: 9 hours (20 minutes active)

Servings: 8

1 1/2 pounds fresh raspberries (4 cups)

3/4 cup superfine sugar, divided

3/4 cup Beaujolais red wine

In a medium bowl, toss the raspberries with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with 10 tablespoons of the wine. Boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, puree the sugared berries. Use a mesh strainer to strain the puree into a medium bowl. Mix in the cooled syrup and remaining wine.

Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. After 2 hours, use a fork to scrape the frozen mixture from around the edges of the container and mix it into the rest of the liquid. Cover and return to the freezer.

Repeat the scraping and mixing every 2 hours three more times (for a total of 6 hours additional freezing time). The texture should be crystallized and icy, not smooth like a sorbet.

If prepared a day ahead, defrost the granita in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and mix with a fork before serving.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 96 calories; 4 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 4 g fiber; 2 mg sodium.

—Recipe from Diana Henry's "Pure Simple Cooking," Ten Speed Press, 2009