Watermelon-Basil Granita
You know summer is official when you see bins of watermelons at local farmer’s markets and grocery stores. I remember my parents buying watermelons on our way camping and putting them in the stream to keep cold. That was in the day when watermelons were the size of something shot out of submarines and big black seeds dotted the red juicy flesh. As a kid, part of the fun of eating a big wedge of watermelon was to see who could spit the seeds the farthest.
While some things have changed, like the varieties of produce we can now buy, there are things that are timeless, like wanting to capture the taste of summer.
I have often seen photos of this refreshing frozen fruit dessert and thought “Ohh..that looks amazing, but is probably is more than I want to tackle.” I was totally wrong on how much time or skill would be needed. It is SO easy. If you can cut a watermelon into cubes and push a button on your blender, you can tackle this super fresh delight. Once I tasted it, I was HOOKED!
Seriously, I served it for dessert and had it the next morning for breakfast.
It was like a snowcone made out of fruit.
Watermelon-Basil Granita
Ingredients
4 cups cubed watermelon
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup sugar
4 or 5 fresh basil leaves (optional)
Put all ingredients in blender and puree. Pour into a metal pan. They tend to speed up freezing.
I actually had a half of a watermelon that needed to be used and it ended up making 4 batches. I put it in a repurposed ice cream container and it was great!
Put in the freezer for at least 3 hours until icy. Scrape the top with the tines of a fork and scoop into a bowl.
Savor the moment.
Enjoy!
