Champagne Jelly with Rosé Granita

Recently, I was invited to join a fantastic international blogging community known as the Five Star Makeover Cooking Group. I've followed one of the co-hosts of the group, Lazaro Cooks, for quite some time, and have never failed to be fascinated with the level of detail and skill that he displays in his cooking. As such, it was a huge honour when Lazaro asked me to join the group, and I've really enjoyed getting to know the rest of the members and their blogs. Trust me, this is a group of some seriously talented cooks - in fact, it's tough not to feel intimidated when reading their posts! The group sets monthly challenges for members, each with its own theme (here's the round-up of last month's Pizza theme and you can also click on their button on the right-hand side of my blog). Each member then needs to come up with their own original recipe, and everyone posts their creations in the last week of the month. The themes are quite broad, which gives each member a lot of space in which to be creative! This is my first month as an official member, and thus this is my first contribution. The theme for September was one which grabbed my interest immediately: Cooking With Wine!

When I sat down to think about what I would make, I felt rather overwhelmed - there are simply millions of recipes using wine. In addition, I live in one of the world's most incredible wine-producing countries... how would I ever choose a wine to represent that? It was a rather daunting task indeed, and suddenly the excitement that I had been feeling turned to worry! I pulled out the cookbooks in search of inspiration and got lost in dishes such as Coq Au Vin, Mussels with White Wine, and Classic Bolognaise, as well as a multitude of wine sauces. These dishes all seemed perfect, but didn't have any ties to my home country. After giving it some more thought, I decided to focus on something that would highlight South Africa, and promote our phenomenal wines.

From there, the thought process was simple, and took but a matter of minutes! Firstly, South Africa produces some outstanding Methode Cap Classique (sparkling wine made by the traditional Champagne method) wines, and many a wine critic has deemed them to be some of the best in the world. My recipe would definitely have to include some MCC! Secondly, we're also a great producer of Rosé, but many locals actually don't know this, as they think that all rosé wines are sickly sweet. When the summer sun is baking down, and you're enjoying a smoked salmon salad next to the pool, there are few better pairings than a crisp, dry pale pink Rosé!

So, I had my wines lined up...now for the recipe. As of 1 September, South Africa officially welcomed Spring - I wanted my recipe to reflect the beauty and freshness of Spring, as well as the gorgeous perfume from the dozens of blossoms, that wafts delicately along the evening breeze. It was clear that I'd be creating a dessert, and decided to put my new-found confidence for jelly making to good use. And so my Champagne Jelly with Rosé Granita was born! It makes such a light and delicious dessert, and you can vary the levels of sweetness with the wines that you choose. It's near effortless to prepare, and is guaranteed to wow at your next dinner party or girl's night in!

You will need:

For the granita

• 750ml Rosé (you can choose either dry or semi-sweet, depending on how sweet you'd like the dessert to be)
• 125ml (1/2 cup) sugar
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) water
• 2.5ml (1/2 tspn) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Dash of rosewater (optional)

For the jelly

• 185ml (2/3 cup) water
• 185ml (2/3 cup) castor sugar
• 35ml (7 tspns) powdered gelatine
• 400ml pink sparkling wine (again, choose either Brut or semi-sweet to suit your tastes) 
• Fresh strawberries, for serving 

The granita needs time to freeze, so I suggest making it at least five to six hours before you'll need it. The best is simply to make it the night before. Bring the water and sugar to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for a few minutes. Pour into a suitable container for freezing, and add the rosé, lemon juice and rosewater. Place in the freezer, and leave until completely frozen. 

To make the jelly, bring the water and sugar to the boil. Reduce the heat, and add the gelatine, stirring well until totally dissolved. Remove from the heat, and add the champagne (pour it in slowly to reduce the amount of foam that will sit on top of the jelly). Slowly pour into desired moulds, and leave in the fridge to set - this takes about 3 to 4 hours. 

To serve, remove the granita from the freezer. Using a fork, scrape the frozen liquid to create delicious "snow". Place a generous helping of this refreshing icy dessert on top of the jellies, and garnish with some fresh strawberries.