Recipe

Beet Kvass and Campari Granita

by Sasha Marx

Would a Negroni cocktail (equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari) top your list of items you’d bring to a desert island? Would you choose radicchio over butter lettuce any day of the week? If you answer “yes” to these questions, you have a bitter tooth, and this granita is for you. Of all the recipes we’ve developed in my time at Cook’s Science, this granita produced the most divided opinions at team tastings (read more about it here). I was really excited about taking the sour kvass left over from my Fermented Beets and pairing it with bitter Campari for a refreshing granita that could serve as a palate cleanser or light dessert. But the sour-salty-bitter-savory combination proved a little too intense and aggressive to garner mass appeal. So I decided to balance those elements by adding orange juice, which contributed sweetness and a citrus aroma that helped counter the bitterness. The combination reminded us of a Negroni, and no one could argue with that.

Photography by Steve Klise

Yield
Makes about 2 cups (340 grams) granita; serves 4 as a light dessert
Ingredients
250 g beet kvass
32 g orange juice
32 g sugar
30 g Campari
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons beet kvass
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Campari
Essential Equipment
Instructions
    • 250 g beet kvass 
    • 32 g orange juice 
    • 32 g sugar 
    • 30 g Campari
    Whisk kvass, orange juice, sugar, and Campari in medium bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour into 8-inch-square baking pan and transfer, uncovered, to freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Using fork, scrape granita to break up large chunks of ice. Return to freezer and continue freezing, scraping every 30 minutes, until granita has texture of snow cone, 1½ to 2 hours longer. Serve. (Granita can be transferred to lidded container and stored in freezer for up to 2 weeks.) 
Instructions
    • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons beet kvass 
    • 2 tablespoons orange juice 
    • 2 tablespoons sugar 
    • 2 tablespoons Campari
    Whisk kvass, orange juice, sugar, and Campari in medium bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour into 8-inch-square baking pan and transfer, uncovered, to freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Using fork, scrape granita to break up large chunks of ice. Return to freezer and continue freezing, scraping every 30 minutes, until granita has texture of snow cone, 1½ to 2 hours longer. Serve. (Granita can be transferred to lidded container and stored in freezer for up to 2 weeks.) 
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