How To Make Perfect Granitas For Guests

Whether you serve it as an after-dinner dessert or an afternoon refreshment, this frozen sweet stunner is guaranteed to make your mouth water (especially when you see what it gets topped with). And it will certainly have everyone oohing and ahhing.

Even better: You don't need a recipe.

All you need to know are these eight simple steps, and you'll be well on your way to endless granita greatness.

1. Make the simple syrup: Boil 1 cup of water with ½ cup of sugar; stir until dissolved, then remove from the heat.

2. Infuse with citrus zest, spices or fresh herbs (we used rosemary).

3. Steep for about 30 minutes while the simple syrup cools to let the flavors meld, then strain out any solids and discard.

4. Blend the cooled simple syrup with 4 cups of fresh fruit (our favorite: fresh raspberries) or about ½ cup of coffee or liquor, plus a pinch of kosher salt, for balance.

5. Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a 13-by-9-by-2-inch flat-bottomed pan or glass dish, pressing on the solids.

6. Freeze for 2 to 4 hours, scraping and breaking up the mixture every 30 minutes to prevent ice crystals and achieve a perfectly fluffy, shaved ice texture.

7. Scrape with a fork to fluff one last time before serving.

8. Garnish individual servings with a drizzle of crème fraîche, 1 to 2 cups of sliced fresh fruit (we used halved blackberries) and finely chopped citrus zest (we went with orange).

What's that? You need extra space for freezing your granita?

Samsung's spacious, sleek, stainless steel 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with Cool Select Plus offers the ultimate in modern design and flexibility. The bottom-right compartment can go from freezer to fridge at the touch of a button so you can maximize storage capacity based on your social calendar.

It also features state-of-the art cooling technology, which means your granita takes less time to freeze, and all your chilled ingredients stay fresh longer.