Thumbing through a throwback issue of Garden & Gun magazine I stumbled upon this recipe for a fantastic take on a traditional Arnold Palmer.
Andrea Litvin, former pastry chef at the now closed The Spence in Atlanta, Georgia offered this recipe for her Arnold Palmer Granita – an icy slush of sorts steeped in sweet tea and fresh lemon.
Served either as a stand alone beverage or dessert with a twist, this Arnold Palmer Granita will impress.
My darling Daddy was an avid golfer who appreciated the game and the greats who “mastered” the green. The throwback photo within the photo is of my Dad playing in the Las Vegas Hilton Buford Long Golf Tournament. What better way to watch the opening day of The Masters than to tea it up with great memories and a round of Arnold Palmer Granitas.
Arnold Palmer Granita
Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
2 ½ cups water
2 black tea bags, preferably English breakfast or other good-quality tea
2 lemons, zest; then halve and juice
Directions
Bring sugar and water to a boil. Add tea bags and steep for five minutes. After steeping the tea bags, add lemon juice and zest. Cool to room temperature. Pour liquid into an 8-by-8 inch baking dish (any shallow, freezer-proof dish will do); cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
After an hour, run a fork through the mixture to break up any large pieces of ice; return to the freezer. Repeat every 15 to 20 minutes until the consistency is fluffy and no large ice crystals remain, about two or three more times.
Scoop into glasses and serve.
Granita may be made ahead and stored in a plastic-covered container in the freezer for up to three days. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Speaking of tradition, do you know what goes good with an Arnold Palmer Granita?
A pimento cheese sandwich.
Pimento cheese is right up there with fried chicken and shrimp grits in the Southern food hall of fame. Pimento cheese is part spread, part relish, all Southern delicious- a staple of cocktail hour, bridal showers, ladies who lunch luncheons, and a favorite sandwich choice at Augusta National.
Recipes for pimento cheese vary from Southern kitchen to Southern kitchen, but my taste buds have yet to meet a recipe for pimento cheese that they do not like. The pimento cheese sandwich takes its rightful place in Southern culinary traditions every April at the Masters Golf Tournament. For $1.50 you can treat yourself to a taste of tradition. For slightly more cheddar, you can whip up a batch of the good stuff at home from the book Par 3 Tea-Time at the Masters by the Junior League of Augusta, Georgia.
Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
3 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (4-oz) jar sliced pimentos, drained
1 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 loaf of white bread
Directions
Combine cheeses, pimentos, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard in a food processor and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Spread on bread slices. Makes four sandwiches.
