Step 1

The name says it all. Combine the water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minutes.

Step 2

Remove from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Cool.

Step 3

While the simple syrup is cooling, rinse the strawberries and remove the green tops. Slice the strawberries. There's no special size here, just slice them.

Step 4

Place the strawberries and the cooled syrup in a processor or blender. Process or blend until smooth, scraping down as necessary.

Step 5

Pour into the pan and freeze for several hours until it's about 3/4 frozen. Scrape with a fork to fluff it up. Refluff it before serving.

Step 6

If the granita freezes hard, just let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature to soften. Store in the freezer.

Step 7

Yield: About 1 quart.