Strawberry Granita with Sweet Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1/3 cup simple syrup
• 2 tablespoons white verjus or fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 vanilla bean pod, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped cream, for serving

Steps

1. Combine strawberries, simple syrup, verjus, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a 13- x 9-inch freezer-safe baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to freezer, and freeze 4 hours, scraping with a fork every 40 minutes to create small ice crystals.
2. While granita freezes, place basil, mint, grapeseed oil, pine nuts, olive oil, and honey in a food processor. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean pod into food processor; discard pod. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. To serve, spoon granita into bowls, and top with whipped cream and sweet pesto.