1 cup brewed peppermint iced tea
cilantro simple syrup
salt
Cilantro Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1/4 cup raw sugar OR 1/8 cup agave
2 grinds fresh black pepper
cilantro stems
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To make cilantro simple syrup
*put water in small sauce pan
*heat on medium-low
*add cilantro stems, steep for 10 minutes
*add sugar, dash of salt, pepper
*stir to dissolve
*turn heat to medium
*reduce by half, stirring occasionally
*strain (save stems for garnish… dip in sugar, or salt, or both and freeze –yum)
To make granita
*mix lemonade, tea, strained simple syrup
*pour into shallow container
* freeze until solid
*scrap with fork
*refreeze
*repeat two additional times
Serve in small bowl/cup with reserved cilantro stems and a dash of kosher salt. Makes a refreshing dessert, snack, or palate cleanser between courses.
This is a great way to use the WHOLE cilantro bunch. There’s flavor in the stems. One con is that it needs to be made in advance, BUT you can make a slushie or it makes a great beverage. (For an adult treat, add a couple of shots of vanilla vodka).
Granita is kind of a fancy name for a slushie. You can get super creative with the flavors. I made a watermelon ginger granita with frozen blood orange slices as garnish.
I’ve also been playing around with herbed simple syrups–try basil, rosemary, cilantro…