Watermelon granita

Five ingredients is all you need for this amazingly refreshing watermelon granita. Plus, if you have an ice-cream maker or ice cube grinder, it takes practically no time to make. While usually granita is made with the fruit juice, for this one I also used the pulp. I’ve tried all the methods that I’m listing here, and all of them make an excellent granita. The one you see pictured in this post was made following method no. 2 (I really like the irregular texture of it, with frozen fleshy bits). Whatever method you choose it’s best to enjoy your granita as soon as it’s ready, just don’t let it sit in the freezer for days.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

4 cups watermelon pulp (seeds removed), cut into chunks

3 tablespoons rice malt syrup

the juice of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground star anise

Place all ingredients in a blender and process for 30-40 seconds until combined (for this granita, I like the fruit base to be chunky rather than completely smooth). Discard any seeds.

Method no. 1– Without an ice cream maker.

Pour mixture onto a plastic or metal bowl and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until ice begins to form. Use a spoon to stir the mixture and put it back in the freezer for another 30 minutes. Repeat this process for 4 to 5 times, until frozen (be careful it does not turn into a big chunk of ice). Transfer the granita into chilled tumblers or glasses and serve.

Method no. 2– With an ice cream maker.

Pour mixture onto a bowl and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions (30 minutes should be enough to obtain a granita texture). Transfer the granita into chlled tumblers or glasses and serve.

Method no. 3– With an ice cube grinder.

If you’re too lazy to stir the mixture now and then (as indicated in method 1), if you don’t have an ice cream maker, or if you already know that you’ll want to save some granita for later consumption, you might as well freeze the watermelon mixture completely using your regular ice cube tray. Once you’ve got the frozen cubes, grind them with the ice grinder appliance of a blender (or other ice cube grinder). Using this method will make your granita more grainier and smoother (like granitas usually are), as watermelon pieces will be processed for the second time. Transfer the granita into chlled tumblers or glasses and serve.

Posted in: cooked

Tagged as: star anise, vanilla, watermelon