banana granita...can it be done?

[tweetie]

I make lots of granitas during the summer months and have had great success with strawberries, watermelon and lemons but can I do the same with bananas? I don't have an ice cream maker and just use a simple syrup, lemon juice and pureed fruit, freeze in a shallow glass dish, stirring every so often to break up the crystals. Will this method work with bananas?

[tweetie]

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I went ahead and made a standard granita with simple syrup and pureed bananas and it was great. Unfortunately it's not as much a draw as strawberry, lemon or watermelon and I'm eating most of it myself..

[jen kalb]

add citrus - it will really pick up the flavor.

[morebubbles]

I invented my own (amazing) banana 'granita'- 4 bananas, 2 cups milk, 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Process & freeze. yum!
Hint: I started out with frozen bananas, put in food processor with other ingredients. Had good texture already.

[Louise]

Look in the book "The Curious Cook" by Harold McGee. Has a lot of basic formulas for the fruit/sugar/lemon juice/water ratios, and I believe banana is one of them. Avocado is too.

[jen kalb]

yes. the bananas will contribute creaminess - you may want to break it up and process it briefly in the food processoror blender and refreeze when it is done to improve the texture. It will be wonderful.

ps. My grandmother always used to make an ice recipe called "five frozen threes" made up of bananas, oranges, lemons water and sugar- add some oranges to yours and you will be there.