The Unusual Way Alex Guarnaschelli Transforms Canned Creamed Corn Into A Frozen Treat

Canned creamed corn is pantry dynamite. There's so much you can do with it: adding a half-can to cornbread batter gives it extra moisture, and a hefty spoonful atop a fluffy baked potato makes for a quick meal, among other hacks. Food Network chef Alex Guarnaschelli loves creamed corn, eating it straight from the can or incorporating it into a steaming bowl of fluffy polenta. She also discovered a genius way to use creamed corn: turning it into granita.

Unlike shaved ice, which is usually prepared via a special machine creating fluffy sheets of ice, a granita is a light, refreshing Sicilian dessert of sweetened liquid that is frozen and then scraped or shaved into icy crystals. For Guarnaschelli's corn granita, she blends a can of creamed corn until smooth, then transfers it to a shallow, airtight container and freezes it. When she's ready to serve it, she removes the frozen mass from its container and grates it with a microplane. The pièce de résistance is a generous sprinkling of dark brown sugar. "It's like a melted brown sugar creamed corn brown sugar popsicle," she said when sharing the recipe on her Instagram account.

Granitas are an easy and satisfying dessert that can easily be made at home, and creamed corn makes for an unexpectedly delicious base. Add a pinch of salt to enliven the corn's natural sweetness and flavor. Rather than simply scattering fresh basil or mint over the finished granita, incorporate their flavors directly into the dessert by steeping the herbs in boiling water, then adding sugar to create a simple syrup. Once cooled, stir the syrup into the corn base before freezing. Aside from topping the corn granita with dark brown sugar, try finely chopped fresh basil or mint and a little fresh lime zest — a fine topping to an oyster. A hefty dollop of whipped cream or crème fraîche, a classic accompaniment to granita, adds richness and a creamy textural contrast to the icy corn.

As granitas are, quite literally, ice, you'll want to move quickly between shaving and serving. Guarnaschelli uses a microplane for instant gratification, but if you prefer a chunkier granita with larger ice crystals, scrape the frozen mixture with the tines of a fork — this is the more common method for making a granita. The finished granita can be stored in the freezer for up to one week. If it becomes too solid after storage, simply let it sit briefly at room temperature, then scrape it with a fork to loosen the ice crystals before serving.