Chilled Oysters with Cava Granita

You're going to pop open a bottle of bubbly for New Year's Eve, right? Here's an oh-so-elegant appetizer to include alongside that uses one of MY favorite sparklers...the wonderful version that the Spaniards call cava.

Chilled Oysters with Cava Granita
From The World in Bite Size.
Makes 12 canapes. (But it's easily divided for smaller portions.)

2 1/4 cups cava
1/4 small cucmber, cut in half lengthwise and very thinly sliced (Use a mandoline if you can. You want them almost paper-thin.)
Pinch of kosher salt
12 oysters, shucked and cleaned
1/2 ounce caviar

Mix 1 1/4 cups water with the cava in a small shallow container and place in the freezer.

After 30 minutes, remove the cava mizture from the freezer and break up the granules with a fork. Return it to the freezer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss the salt with the cucumber slices to extract excess water.

Remove the oysters from their shells. Wash and dry the shells, reserving one half for serving each oyster. (Note: I cheated and used pre-shucked oysters and used little Chinese soup spoons to serve.)

To serve, place a bed of two or three cucumber slices in each half shell and top with an oyster.

Spoon some granita onto each oyster. Top with a bit of caviar.

(Wow!)