Strawberry and Mascarpone Granita

Cook Time: 3 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
* 2 cups chopped strawberries, plus 1 cup finely chopped
* 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice
* Pinch salt

Directions

Place the water, 1/2 sugar, and mint in a small pan and bring to a
simmer, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. Let simmer
over low heat to steep the mint. Then strain the mint from the simple
syrup. Discard the mint.

In a food processor combine 2 cups of strawberries with the remaining
1 tablespoon of sugar. Run the machine to puree the strawberries. Add
the mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, and salt. Run the machine until
the mascarpone cheese is fully incorporated. Add the mint simple syrup
and run the machine to combine. Place the strawberry mixture in an 8
by 8-inch glass dish and place the dish in the freezer. The mixture
will take about 4 hours to freeze.

To serve, use a fork to scrape the granita. Spoon the mixture into
chilled bowls. Top with the finely chopped strawberries. Serve
immediately.