This refreshing dessert, watermelon and mint granita, is the perfect combination of sweet melon and herbs! Perfect for a warm summers eve!
One of the reasons I love summer so much is because of one fruit in particular. I know that in a previous post, I said that my favorite fruit were peaches and they totally are. But a very close second would be watermelon! I get so excited when I see these in stores during the summer because I know that they’re going to be crisp, sweet, and super juicy! There really is nothing like it.
Because of the high water content, I thought that watermelon would be best served as a granita! What is a granita??? Short and sweet, a granita is an icy, sweet treat usually made from fruit juices, coffee or wine. What sets this apart from a sorbet is that granita has a coarse texture to it instead of being spun into a silky smooth frozen treat. The coarse texture is achieved by occasionally stirring the mixture while it’s freezing.
Granitas are super easy to make at home because they don’t require any special equipment; you don’t need to buy an ice cream maker for this recipe (yay!). With all granitas, I bring up my juice to a boil along with the sugar and place it in the container I’m going to freeze it in. I cool my mix in the fridge before popping it into the freezer because I don’t want to disrupt the temperature of the freezer too much by putting a super-hot liquid into the freezer right off the bat.
You’ll notice that in this recipe, I did opt for the fresh mint route to flavor my granite instead of the extract. The reason is that I didn’t want the mint flavoring to overpower the flavor of my watermelon too much. I wanted there to just be a nice hint of mint as it hits the back of your palate. I believe that the extract would have been too strong an option for this application.
Even though the texture of a granita is coarse, I still strained my mixture because I wanted the texture to be from the ice crystals that had formed instead of seeds and pulp from the meat of the watermelon.
If you are looking to have a refreshing dessert, or even a palate cleanser in between courses, this recipe is your go too! You could even pair it with my Orange Basil Sorbet. These two recipes together would be the talk of your next pool side party!
So grab a medium sized pan and start making delicious granitas!! They’re super easy and super fun to eat!
What would be some of your flavor combinations you would try as a granita?
Happy eating!
- 24 ounces watermelon cubed
- 5 ounces Sugar
- .5 ounce mint leaves and stems
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Take cubed watermelon, sugar, and mint and place in a medium sauce pot. Stir.
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Cook over medium high heat and boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let steep for 20 minutes.
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Take out the mint and place watermelon and juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain into your freezing container. Place in fridge until cool.
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Once the mixture is cool, place into the freezer and every hour, stir mixture with a fork to create the icy crystals. Mix in thinly sliced mint at the end.
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Scoop and serve.
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