Watermelon Granita
The bright colors and powerful hydrating flavors of watermelon, ‘anguria’ in Italian, lend themselves perfectly to this refreshing Italian dessert.
Granita is the Italian’s version of a slushie or snow-cone injected with a touch of flair and finesse that the Italian’s do so well. Granita can be made from pretty much any liquid substance. Simply pour into a pan and then freeze with frequent scrapes using a fork to break up the fast chilling mixture into small ice crystals. E voila! Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say ‘Ecco! E' fatto’
With just 3 ingredients and very little effort you can deliver a great tasting, flavor-packed dessert that can easily be made in advance and enjoyed as a cooling snack on a warm day or served as a lightweight, refreshing after dinner treat.
The trick to get the best results with granita is to make sure you scrape frequently and thoroughly so the ice flakes are as light and fluffy as possible.
Preparation Time
Take cook time as freeze time!
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon, seedless if possible, diced.
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 lime, juiced
A Note About Watermelon
- Buy a seedless watermelon if you can as this will save having to strain the mixture through a sieve. The white seeds will blend into nothing and won't be visible in the finished granita so there's no need to strain if your watermelon only contains these. If you can only find a watermelon with black pips then try to remove as many as possible when cutting up the flesh into chunks, straining out any that you missed after giving the mixture a light blend. Don't over-blend to start with so the pips remain fairly in tact and are easier to catch in the sieve.
Instructions:
1. Dice up and measure out the watermelon.
2. Juice the lime, adding more or less to suit your taste.
3. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. As mentioned above, if you have black seeds you either want to make sure that none end up in the blender or else lightly blend and then sieve out completely before blitzing thoroughly.
Play around with the sugar quantities in this recipe depending on the sweetness of the watermelon you are using and how sweet a tooth you have.
4. Pour the mixture into freezer proof container or baking tray that is around 8 x 8 inches and 2 inches deep.
5. Cover and place in the freezer.
6. After half an hour check to see whether any ice has started to form. If there is the glint of solidifying water get your fork out and scrape away. Pay particular attention the sides of the pan and give them a good going over to remove any chunks of ice. If the mixture is still entirely liquid then check it in about another 15 minutes to see if you can start scraping.
7. Every half an hour from when you first start to see ice form, repeat the scraping process. The more frequently you scrape the finer and fluffier the granita will be. The less you scrape, the larger the size of the ice crystals.
8. Once the watermelon granita has frozen completely it is ready to serve. Give it a final going over with a fork to fluff up any clumping ice and spoon into glass dishes or some pretty glassware such as champagne flutes. Garnish with a wedge of fresh watermelon or a twist of lime peel.
For a quick overview of this recipe watch this watermelon granita video:
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 102 |
| Calories from Fat | 0 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 0 g | |
| Saturated fat 0 g | |
| Unsaturated fat 0 g | |
| Carbohydrates 27 g | 9% |
| Sugar 26 g | |
| Fiber 0 g | |
| Protein 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| Sodium 0 mg | |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Watermelon Granita represents the tasty tip of the iceberg when it comes to granita recipe possibilities. This frozen, slush dessert would make a great afters for a crowd and would certainly liven up the party with a bit of vodka thrown in (not too much that it stops it from freezing though). The spectrum of granita flavors that can be concocted are endless, for further inspiration have a look at my hub on 8 Granita Recipes and you will hopefully find a few tasty ideas!
