Wateremelon Granita

This is one of my favorite summer treats! I always have a batch of granita in the freezer through summer. They are not overly sweet but the perfect frozen bite you need in the evening or after being outside all day. This variation is watermelon. It is the perfect watermelon flavor that we all love in summer but frozen. I love watermelon, but rarely do we eat a whole one in a day or two, and I enjoy it best when its super fresh. This is the perfect way to utilize leftover watermelon that will last 5 days in the freezer. The ice pieces in granita are small and immediately start melting in your mouth. It is not like eating ice, it easy to eat and easy to make. You just need a freezer and a fork!

Makes 9x13 pan of granita (10-12 generous servings)

1 small- medium sized watermelon

1 batch simple syrup (see below)

limes for serving

Simple Syrup:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

boil water, add sugar to dissolve and let cool completely before using. Leftovers can be stored in sealed container for a week in the fridge.

To make granita:

Put watermelon flesh in blender, add a bit of water if needed, blend well and strain through fine mesh strainer to large bowl. This make need to be done in batches. Taste watermelon juice for sweetness. Add simple syrup a tablespoon at a time until desired sweetness is reached. I use about a tablespoon per cup of juice, but add to your preference. The juice will lose some of it’s sweetness as it freezes.

Place in 9x13 pan, something non-stick. I use a 9x13 cake pan, anything will do, you want the juice to be about an inch deep. Place in freezer for 2 hours. Once it starts forming ice, scrape it with a fork to keep any large pieces from forming. Keep scraping every 45 minutes to hour until frozen through and all is scraped to small crystals.

That’s it! Serve with a squeeze of lime and enjoy! It will remain at the shaved stage unless is gets thawed. Keep in freezer, covered, for 5 days.

After final scraping, it should look something like this.