ICY DOES IT
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Making a granita — a sophisticated version of the Italian shaved ice we ate as kids — couldn’t be easier. You don’t need a blender or ice cream maker, just a brownie pan, a fork, your freezer…and a little time and patience. Pour a sweetened mixture of fruit juice, sugar, and water (and alcohol, if you like) into a shallow pan and pop it into the freezer. As the mixture freezes, scrape the crystals off the edges of the pan and stir them back into the mix. In about three hours, you’ve got a refreshing frozen dessert. The fl avors of these homemade ices are a lot more satisfying than the snow cones of your childhood. Pink lemonade is a classic, while a sangria granita is perfect for dinner with friends.
PINK LEMONADE GRANITA
1 and 1⁄2 cups water
3⁄4 cup plus 2 tbs. granulated sugar
3⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3–4
lemons)
2 tsps. grenadine
Combine water, sugar, lemon juice,
and grenadine in medium bowl. Stir
with large spoon or whisk until sugar
has thoroughly dissolved (about
1 minute).
Pour mixture into 9 x 9-inch
shallow baking pan, preferably metal.
Put pan in freezer and stir every 30
minutes, being sure to scrape ice
crystals off sides and into middle of
pan until mixture is too frozen to
stir (about 3 hours depending on
freezer temperature; mixture may
freeze faster). Use large dinner fork
to stir and scrape. (Tines are perfect
for breaking up ice crystals).
Cover pan with plastic and keep frozen until ready to serve. Place fork at top of dish and pull it toward you in rows, moving from left to right while rotating pan. Scrape up shaved ice and fi ll chilled glasses or bowls.
Serves six to eight
Susie Middleton is Editor at Large for Fine Cooking magazine. For more recipes, tips, and techniques, visit finecooking.com.
SANGRIA GRANITA
3/4 cup full-bodied red wine,
such as Merlot or Cabernet
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs. granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
Combine red wine, water, and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in orange and lemon juice. Let cool.
Pour mixture into 9 x 9-inch shallow baking pan, preferably metal. Put pan in freezer and stir every 30 minutes, being sure to scrape ice crystals off sides and into middle of pan until mixture is too frozen to stir (about 3 hours depending on freezer temperature). Use large dinner fork to stir and scrape. (Tines are perfect for breaking up ice crystals.)
Cover pan with plastic and keep frozen until ready to serve. Place fork at top of dish and pull toward you in rows, moving left to right while rotating pan. Scrape up shaved ice and place in chilled glasses or bowls.
Recipe by Nicole Plue
Photo by Scott Phillips/Courtesy Fine Cooking
WHAT MAKES SCENTS
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Browse the perfume aisles of the department store or beauty emporium, and you’ll find no shortage of fragrances fronted by actors, pop singers, or athletes. There was a time when perfume makers didn’t need star power to promote their scents, nor did famous folk shill their favorite fragrances to the masses. Only the nose knows if celebrity-branded scents like Britney Spears Curious, Derek Jeter Driven, or Sean Jean Unforgivable for Men (by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs) will have true staying power. In the meantime, here are some classic, enduring perfumes and the stars from Hollywood’s golden age who wore them.
? Famed couturier Hubert de Givenchy created L’Interdit especially for his muse Audrey Hepburn.
? Screen star Marlene Dietrich wore Fracas by Robert Piguet.
? Prince Rainier of Monaco commissioned Creed Fleurissimo for his new bride Grace Kelly.
? Italian-made perfume Acqua di Parma was favored by Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant.
? One icon deserves another: When asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn Monroe reportedly quipped, “Why, Chanel No. 5, of course.”
Tips
? A little heavy-handed with your favorite scent? Just blot the offending spot with a cotton ball dampened with rubbing alcohol, a trick used by perfumers to lighten fragrances during production.
? That pricey bottle of perfume can last for a couple of years if stored properly. Avoid exposure to light, heat, and air.
? Perfume housed in a bottle with a stopper will last longer if decanted into a smaller spray atomizer.
Scentsational Finds
Those with a nose for exotic and distinctive perfumes would do well to explore luckyscent.com. The online emporium specializes in hard-to-find, unusual, and ultra-modern fragrances for women and men, as well as high-end candles and skincare. Search by fragrance note (soft/powdery, floral/oriental), or survey Lucky Scent’s top picks and most popular sellers (lush elixirs from Italian perfumer Bois 1920 and the coveted Luctor et Emergo by The People of the Labyrinths for example); illustrative reviews of each scent’s characteristics stir one’s olfactory sensibilities. Samples of most perfumes are available ($3–$8 for a vial), so you can catch a whiff before splurging on a bottle.
Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez (Viking, 2008) is an enlightening and entertaining treatise on the world of perfumes. Turin, a scientist, and Sanchez, a fragrance critic, guide readers through the ins and outs of perfume making and buying. They’ve also undertaken the Herculean task of sniffing out some 1,500 fragrances, which they review with wit and candor. One perfume is described as “a cheap and crude jasmine-lilac affair, ideal for what the professionals call air care.” After sampling another scent the authors advise readers to “avoid this one, unless you’re dating Piltdown Man.”
Photo by Leah Fasten
