22 July 2012

Kir Royale Granita {Sundays with Joy}

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Today is my 11th anniversary. Or, the day my husband decided to put up with me forever.

Kidding.

I really do believe that I married my best friend. I know it's cheesy, who doesn't say that? But it's so totally true.

We met in college. I was 20. He was a "returning student." We became friends over HTML and confusing java script codes.

Fast forward a couple years. He was freshly divorced and I pounced.

Kidding. Not really. I'll admit; I pursued him. I chased him until he caught me.

Our first two "dates" were as friends. By the end of the second outing (a long hike) I was in loooove. I mean, we had pretty much everything in common. From then on we were inseparable.

We were engaged 5 months later. (However, I knew we were going to get married within two weeks. We even talked about it after just a month.) A little over a year after that hike we were married.

Back in the days before we had a kid, when you know, we could actually go out and have fun and not care if we didn't want to get out of bed the next day, we'd have a drink at the bar before sitting down to dinner at a nice restaurant. At some point, I was introduced to a champagne drink called a Kir Royale.


A Kir Royale is made of champagne and Chambord (a raspberry liqueur). Now, some purists might say it needs to be made with Cream de Cassis...but I always remember it made with Chambord. The good bartenders rub the edge of the glass with lemon before popping some of the rind into the glass, creating a good fizz.

{Seriously, talking about this has made me want a cocktail. Badly. Guess what I'm ordering at dinner tonight?}


When I realized Sundays with Joy fell on our anniversary, and that her espresso granita was what was on the schedule, I was stumped. I wanted to make something for us to enjoy after dinner tonight...but my husband doesn't like coffee. Somehow, I thought of champagne...and that led me to a Kir Royale.

Making a granita is one of the easiest things ever, so don't be intimidated by its elegant name. You just place liquid in a dish, pop it in the freezer, and stir it once an hour for three or four hours. Easy peasy.

Believe you me, it's reeealllly difficult to make a champagne granita at 9am. Because as much as I wanted to eat it, I couldn't because I needed to be a responsible parent. (Darn kids.)

Plus, by not eating it, I can save it to share with my sweetie tonight.

Happy Anniversary to my dear, sweet husband. Thanks for being my rock for more than 11 years and for always just nodding and saying "mm hmmmm" when I get in one of my moods.

I'm looking forward to our next few chapters. And the rest of the next 50 years we'll be together. :)




Kir Royale Granita
by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 mini bottles Champagne (about 1 3/4 cup)
  • Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, plus additional zest for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons Chambord
Instructions
  1. Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool. Place in a jar and chill until ready to use. (You will not need all of the simple syrup for this recipe.) Chill champagne and chambord.
  2. Add champagne, chambord, zest, juice, and 1/2 cup of simple syrup to a 9x9 glass baking dish. Stir gently. Place in the freezer.
  3. After 1 hour, stir with a fork, breaking up clumps. Repeat after an additional hour, then again twice more in 30 minute increments. Once granita is frozen but flaked, transfer to a resealable container until ready to serve.
  4. Garnish with lemon scented whipped cream or plain whipped cream and lemon zest.
I can't give you the lemon cream recipe...you'll have to buy Joy's book for that! :)

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32 Comments:

At July 22, 2012 at 7:06 PM , Blogger Ellen said...

This is lovely, Dorothy! I'm glad you were able to incorporate the granita into your day, so creative! Happy Anniversary to both of you :)

 
At July 22, 2012 at 8:10 PM , Anonymous Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

I just had my 11th anniversary about 3 months ago - happy anniversary to you guys!

And I love Chambord & Champagne - this sounds great!

 
At July 22, 2012 at 9:03 PM , Blogger Back for Seconds said...

Happy anniversary, you two love birds! (I saw you conquered a fear today on instagram, woot!) this is the perfect drink for a celebration. Looks fantastic!

 
At July 22, 2012 at 9:19 PM , Blogger Jocelyn said...

Congratulations on 11 years and going!!! I just love hearing when people talk about their "other half" as their best friend...you guys are so sweet!!! And what a fun "drink" to celebrate the day with!! Hope you had a blast!

 
At July 22, 2012 at 10:00 PM , Blogger Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel said...

Congratulations once again, and Happy Anniversary! You and Mel are the coolest parents ever and one sexy couple. Plus, he's lucky to be with you forevah because you make bomb guacamole and wear cute dresses and make this badass granita. Badass granita that I *hope* I can try one day--juuuust sayin'. Seriously though, hope you had a relaxing weekend with your hubby enjoying this treat in the heat!

 
At July 22, 2012 at 10:27 PM , Blogger Kristin said...

What a great anniversary dessert! (and seriously, if you're not marrying your best friend, who the heck are you marrying?!)
Happy Anniversary!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 6:21 AM , Anonymous Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more said...

aw so sweet, and champagne at 9am is totally fine, it's the beer or hard booze that you have to watch for;p

 
At July 23, 2012 at 6:32 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Averie! Happy Anniversary to you too!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 6:33 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

I have some still...you're welcome to share. Thanks for being such good friend Hayley!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 6:33 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

LOL Sue! Thanks!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 8:05 AM , Blogger Shannon said...

Happy Anniversary! I love Kir Royale's, my sister introduced them to me a while ago. She has a Snowflake Ball every winter and all the women dress up in their bridesmaids dresses from weddings they've been in. It was all created to wear those dresses again that you never thought you would. My point is that the Kir Royale is always her "signature drink" at the party and I need to tell her about this because it sounds delicious :)

 
At July 23, 2012 at 9:55 AM , Blogger Ellen @ BakeItWithBooze said...

Rockin' the boozy creation...Love it. And, I need to get me some of that Chambord. Big Time! Glad you had a relaxing anniversary weekend, too.

 
At July 23, 2012 at 10:14 AM , Anonymous sally @ sallys baking addiction said...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Dorothy! And what a delicious recipe today. I am loving these Sundays w/ Joy posts! Champagne + Chambord... I could totally get on board with this. ;)

 
At July 23, 2012 at 12:08 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

LOVE it - hope you had a great anniversary!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 12:32 PM , Blogger Karyn said...

Happy Anniversary! Hope you two enjoy some good drinks, good food, and good conversation.

 
At July 23, 2012 at 2:15 PM , Blogger Carrie B said...

I hope your anniversary was a good one! Cheers to many more. And I need to try a Kir Royale! Sounds yummy.

 
At July 23, 2012 at 4:00 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Sally! Yes, you must. Such a great drink!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 4:01 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Ellen! I managed to read part three of the series while it was quiet. :)

 
At July 23, 2012 at 4:02 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Heather! We did!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 4:04 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

What a great party theme! That would be too funny. It's such a yummy drink!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 4:55 PM , Blogger Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl said...

You know me...I'm totally on board with the boozy drinks! =) Hope you had a wonderful anniversary, and here's to many more wonderful years!

 
At July 23, 2012 at 5:55 PM , Blogger kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Awww, happy anniversary to you two lovebirds! The drink sounds wonderful. I need to try one of those.

 
At July 23, 2012 at 6:48 PM , Blogger Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Happy anniversary!!! What lovely memories (I think us foodies always find strong remembrances in food and drink!)of your courtship! Beautiful granita~

 
At July 23, 2012 at 6:50 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

First and foremost, happy 11th anniversary to the both of you. Such a lovely story on how you met. I love that you 'pounced' after his divorce and why the heck not, you two were obviously meant to be! :)

The Kir Royale sounds so incredibly elegant and I'm imagining it takes amazing. Well it must do with champagne (which, by the way I dislike) but the raspberry liquour... oh yes! I must go in search of such thing! I bet the lemon juice and zest gives it a yummy kick too. I might have to surprise my fella with a glass of this too.

 
At July 23, 2012 at 8:04 PM , Blogger Tiffany said...

Happy Anniversary! This is so incredibly beautiful... good thing you are a good mom or that think could have been down lickety-split! ;)

 
At July 24, 2012 at 2:12 PM , Blogger Dip It In Chocolate said...

So cute to read about you and your husband. So many couples fight these days, it is refreshing to hear a good {true} love story! A very happy anniversary to you!

This granita is gorgeous. I made a grapefruit granita last week but I used yellow grapefruit instead of pink or ruby... haha it was so sour! I wish mine had turned out delicate pink like this. Bet you guys enjoyed it!

 
At July 24, 2012 at 2:18 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks so much! It was yummy. :)

 
At July 24, 2012 at 2:21 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

LOL, that's for sure. Thanks so much!

 
At July 24, 2012 at 2:25 PM , Blogger Winnie said...

Such a sweet and romantic post!:)
Happy Anniversary !:) Wishing you many more years together

 
At July 24, 2012 at 5:05 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thank you Winnie! :)

 
At July 24, 2012 at 5:05 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Yes, yes, and yes. :) Thanks so much Ashley!

 
At July 29, 2012 at 6:33 PM , Blogger Tobins' Tastes said...

Chambord & Champagne cocktails are my favorite! I am wishing it wasn't late on a Sunday night or I would be making this right now!

Thanks so much for sharing at Mealtime Monday! Can't wait to see what you link up tonight!

Kaylee
www.couponingncooking.com

 

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