beautiful food #1 : basil granita with peaches.

So, here it is, my first beautiful food post on the site. This recipe comes from the ever-addicting marthastewart.com and features my favorite fruit of the late summer: peaches. I'm also quite a basil fanatic (pesto is by far one of my favorite foods), and the combination of the two sounds so delicious. And so, on we go!

Ingredients:
2 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs and flowers for garnish
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. fresh honeydew juice (from 1 1/4 lbs. honeydew)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add basil; cook until basil turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath until cool, about 1 minute. Drain; pat dry.
2. Stir together sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved. Add basil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let cool completely.
3. Puree the basil mixture in a blender, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in honeydew juice. Refrigerate, covered, 8 to 12 hours.
4. Using the back of a spoon, press basil mixture through a fine sieve into a nonreactive bowl. Stir in lemon juice and salt. Transfer to an 8-inch square nonreactive baking dish, and place in freezer. Rake with a fork every 30 minutes until mixture is completely frozen, about 3 hours.
5. Arrange peaches on 6 chilled serving plates, dividing evenly; top with granita. Garnish with basil sprigs and flowers.

Now go make it and enjoy!