Shelly's Recipe

WATERMELON STRAWBERRY GRANITA

Category: Frozen Desserts

Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 cups of water
1-1/4 cups of sugar
About 5 cups of seedless watermelon cut into chunks, roughly 1/4 of a small watermelon
2 cups of whole fresh strawberries, cut into chunks
Extra chunks of watermelon and/or strawberry for garnish, optional

Zest 1/2 a lemon; set aside. Make a simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, add the lemon juice and the watermelon to a blender and puree. Add the strawberries and the lemon zest to the blender and puree. Combine the watermelon mixture and the simple syrup, pour into an 8 x 8 pan and place into the freezer.

Freezing time will vary, but check it first at about 2 hours (sooner if you use a larger pan) to see if the mixture has firmed up somewhat around the edges, but is still slightly slushy in the center.

Take a fork and scrape across the surface of the frozen edges, dragging the fork from the outside edges toward the middle. Return to the freezer and as you think about it, pull it out and scrape it some more, about every 30 minutes or so.

By the way, if you happen to go too long, don't stress over it. Just leave the pan on the counter and it will soften enough in a few minutes for scraping. Then just continue the process. The secret to a good granita is the frequent agitation of the scraping.

To serve, scrape the granita again and transfer into chilled individual serving dishes. Looks really pretty in a martini glass. Garnish with a chunk of watermelon or strawberry, if desired.