Granitas sound like they may be fancy, but in reality, all a granita is is a homemade slush. It’s a refreshing option for a summer dessert — the icy treat will cool you down on a hot summer day, but it’s lighter than ice cream or frozen yogurt. We like just eating granita out of a bowl with a spoon like a sorbet or serving them in a cocktail glass with a little bit of vodka or gin as a cool summer cocktail.
Watermelon is a classic granita flavour because the melon is so full of liquid that you don’t have to add any extra water or juice to make a slush. All you have to do is puree it, pour it into a pan, and freeze it. You’ll need to scrape it up with a fork as it’s freezing so you don’t end up with a big watermelon ice cube, but other than that, this cool treat requires very little work. Which is exactly how we like it in the summertime.
- 9 cups cubed and seeded watermelon (about 3/4 of a medium watermelon)
- Juice of 3 limes
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Place the watermelon (in two separate batches so you don’t have an overflow) in a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Press the puree through a sieve, collecting the juice in a large bowl. Discard the solids left in the sieve. Stir in the lime juice, mint, extract, and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the mixture into a metal 9" by 13″ baking pan and place it in the freezer.
- Every half hour or so, scrape through the mixture with a fork, breaking up any large solids. Repeat for about three hours, or until the broken-up mixture has the consistency of a snow cone.
- Spoon into individual bowls or parfait cups and garnish with a sprig of mint if you’re feeling fancy.
