Arugula granita came about like many things in our kitchen, through close association. I was working on a triple crème sorbet modeled after the Alain Ducasse and then Thomas Keller mascarpone sorbet. We are working on a dessert featuring rhubarb, almond cake and crumble, freeze-dried strawberries, smoked peppercorns, and balsamic vinegar. I wanted a creamy, salty element for the dessert and thought of triple crème cheeses. Also, I had the thoughts and ideas of the triple crème brulee still fluttering about my mind. And so we came up with the triple crème sorbet, not too far of a reach from the inspiration of mascarpone. When I was done making the sorbet base, I had some extra simple syrup in a pan and beautiful arugula sitting in ice water on the counter. I saw the two and figured, why not make a granita? I cooked the arugula in the syrup and then puréed it with ice to cool it down and pulverize it immediately. When the purée was smooth and vibrant, I strained the mixture and began to freeze it in a shallow loaf pan. I scraped the freezing base every half an hour in order to generate fine, delicate ice crystals. When the granita was finished, we assembled a simple, refreshing dish: Charentais melon confit with arugula granita, balsamic vinegar, vanilla salt, and Armando Manni’s olive oil.
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