A crisp, thirst-quenching frozen granita inspired by classic watermelon granita: ripe fruit, just enough sugar, fresh mint, and a touch of lime to heighten the freshness.
Ingredients
- 900 g ripe seedless watermelon
- 90 g granulated white sugar
- 120 ml water
- 12 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 piece unwaxed lime
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 8 leaves small fresh mint leaves
Method
- Make a light syrup: pour the water and sugar into a small saucepan, heat over medium while stirring until the liquid becomes perfectly clear and the grains disappear. Turn off the heat at the first hint of a simmer; the syrup must not caramelize.
- Add the fresh mint to the hot syrup, cover, and let steep off the heat until the aroma is clear but still fresh. The liquid should smell of bruised mint, without a cooked-herb aroma.
- Strain the syrup, pressing the mint very gently without crushing it hard, to avoid bitterness. Let it cool until it no longer feels warm to the touch.
- Cut the watermelon into pieces, remove any visible seeds, and blend the flesh with the cooled syrup, lime juice, and fine salt. Blend until you have a fluid red juice with a foamy surface.
- Taste the base: it should seem slightly sweeter and more lemony than juice served as is, because cold mutes the flavors. If the watermelon is very bland, add a little more lime juice or a very small touch of sugar, then blend briefly again.
- Pass the mixture through a fine sieve if you want a very smooth granita. For a more rustic texture, keep the fine pulp, but remove any thick fibers or remaining seeds.
- Pour the base into the pint or pints without exceeding the fill line. Place the pints flat in the freezer and let them freeze until the center is completely hard, with no liquid area when you tilt the pint.
- Take the pint out of the freezer and let it stand at room temperature for a few moments if the edges look extremely icy. Install the pint in the ice cream maker and run the sorbet or granita program, depending on your appliance.
- At the end of the first cycle, check the texture: it should be fine, snowy, and moist, not powdery. If it seems dry or crumbly, make a small well in the center, add a splash of cold water or watermelon juice, then run a short re-spin cycle.
- Serve at once in very cold bowls. Lightly scrape the surface with a spoon to form airy shards, then finish with the small fresh mint leaves.
- If the granita waits in the freezer after churning, return it to the pint, smooth it, then run another cycle when ready to serve. A true granita should remain crystalline and melting, never compact like dense ice cream.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 174.1 kcal
- Protein
- 2.2 g
- Carbohydrate
- 39.63 g
- Fat
- 0.75 g
- Fibre
- 5.19 g
- Calcium
- 26.52 mg
- Iron
- 0.61 mg
- Magnesium
- 7.75 mg
