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If you live in the Midwest, February is a hard month. At this point, January is over, so at first, you think you’ve made it through the war. The worst of winter should be done, and we got through the polar vortex! February is practically spring, right? …Then Mother Nature decides to remind you it’s still winter and cold.
This Valentine’s Day does not feel overly romantic. If it’s above freezing, everything outdoors on my farm is sloppy and slushy, and the alternative is below-freezing temperatures. So, in either case, we really have a lose-lose situation.
To bring something fresh, almost spring-like, and happy into my life, I turn to food. What sounds more fresh and bright than a combination of grapefruit, lime, and beet juice?!
Ha! I probably lost you at beet juice, but just hang in there with me. A grapefruit, lime, and beet fruit ice is sweet and citrusy. It’s grounded with just enough beet juice to balance out the sweetness, and I mean, come on, isn’t it the most romantic color?!
Fruit ice really is a granita: flavored, Italian-style ice. I love these because they are so easy; they are just a combination of fruit juice and sugar. The sugar is cooked into the juice for a smooth consistency, and when frozen, the sugar keeps the result soft enough to scrape into a fine texture. You can totally eat this, almost like ice cream.
The best part of this entire recipe is the freedom fruit ice can give you. The flavor comes only from the fruits used, which provides an extremely clean and fresh flavor that hits your taste buds with the first bite.
Grapefruit was my first go-to flavor because they’re in season and easily found during the winter.
The grapefruit is great, but I wanted a bit more complexity – and lime was just the answer. This duo was fine but not overly sweet. The lime and grapefruit were both tart and needed some sugar to balance them out.
Enter the beet juice. First, let’s all remember that sugar can be made from beets, so the juice is actually sweet. Beets also have a great earth-like organic flavor that rounds out the citrus. The best, somewhat unexpected, byproduct was the color: a deep, rich magenta that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.
So instead of the mundane, normal thing, why not try a fruit ice for your sweetheart? Just maybe don’t mention the beet juice right away!
More Year of Brunch Recipes
- Cinnamon nut grain-free granola
- Ultimate cinnamon rolls
- Overnight blueberry French toast
- Orange blueberry Irish soda bread scones
More Valentine’s Day Recipes
- Chocolate pops
- Valentine’s Day marshmallows
- Oven steamed salmon with vegetables
- Citrus Dutch baby pancake
Watch how to make this fruit ice
Grapefruit, Beet & Lime Fruit Ice
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups pink grapefruit juice
- ½ cup beet juice
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ⅓ cup limoncello
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium-high until the sugar dissolves to a clear color and the mixture begins to simmer, 5-7 minutes. Once clear, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 4 cups water
- Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, and beet juice with the Limoncello.1 ¾ cups pink grapefruit juice, ½ cup beet juice, ½ cup fresh lime juice, ⅓ cup limoncello
- When the sugar syrup has cooled, add to the juices. Stir to combine and pour into a glass 9×13 baking dish. Place in freezer.
- Using a fork, stir every two hours, breaking up larger pieces until completely frozen, 6 hours.
- Before serving, use a fork to scrape the ice to create scoopable consistency.
