Bloody Mary Granita Canapés

With some days still nearing 30C, I think that cold canapés are still in order! So, in a twist to sweet sorbets, I made this savoury granita, great for an end-of-summer party!

I started with inspiration from The Nibble - I wanted a savoury sorbet, and tomato seemed like a good start. Then I thought about the tomato sorbet that I had at Mo Vida, which was served with a parmesan crisp and anchovies, and slowly the canapé started coming together. This being a granita, you don't even need an ice cream machine!

Bloody Mary Granita

1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Tabasco
1/2 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 lime
pinch of celery salt, to taste
10ml vodka (optional)

Anchovies, to serve
Baby basil, to serve
Smoked Sea Salt, to serve

Mix up all the ingredients for the bloody mary, and place into a shallow container. Place into your freezer, and give it a mix once every couple of hours, or the mixture will split. Once the mixture has frozen solid, simply use a fork to scrape the frozen mixture and you have your granita!

When you're ready to serve, simply spoon out your granita into your desired serving dish, top with a quarter of an anchovy (which you can prepare in advance), and a tiny baby basil leaf (I just used the ones from my garden!). If baby basil leaves are not as easy to find - I don't believe in buying a large bunch of herbs just to use the tiny bits at the top - then you can shred some large leaves to top the canapé as well. Then crack some smoked salt over the top, and you're ready to serve!

Another way to enjoy a favourite cocktail, on a hot summer day.