Strawberry Limoncello Granita with Whipped Cream and Candied Basil

Strawberry Limoncello Granita with Whipped Cream and Candied Basil
Fresh Strawberry Granita
Makes about 6 cups

1 cup hot water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons limoncello
3 cups sliced hulled strawberries (1 pound whole berries) plus additional berries for garnish

Stir first 3 ingredients in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Blend 3 cups strawberries in processor until smooth. Add sugar syrup and blend until combined.
Pour mixture into 13x9x2-inch nonstick metal baking pan. Freeze until icy around edges, about 25 minutes. Using fork, stir icy portions into middle of pan. Freeze until mixture is frozen, stirring edges into center every 20 to 30 minutes, about 1 1/2 hours. Using fork, scrape granita into flaky crystals. Cover tightly and freeze. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.) Scrape granita into bowls. Garnish with berries

Candied Basil

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tablespoons water
8 fresh basil leaves, washed and thoroughly dried
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175ºF.
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool so that it’s just warm (not hot, or the basil will discolor). Soak the basil leaves in the syrup for 5 minutes.
Remove the leaves from the syrup and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crystallized.
Preparing an Ice Bath:

Fill a large bowl halfway with water and ice, then nestle a smaller bowl in the ice water that’s in the larger bowl. Be careful to ensure that none of the ice water drips into the smaller bowl.