Melon Granita

Melon granita is a fresh and delicious dessert, perfect for summer. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 1 ripe melon (prefer a sweet and fragrant variety like Cantaloupe)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 100-150 g of sugar (depending on the sweetness of the melon)
• 200 ml of water

Preparation

1. Start by cutting the melon in half, remove the seeds and the rind, and cut the flesh into pieces.
2. Place the melon flesh in the blender or food processor.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the water with the sugar to a boil until it has completely dissolved, to create a simple syrup. Let it cool.
4. Add the cold syrup and the lemon juice to the melon flesh in the blender.
5. Blend all the ingredients until you obtain a smooth puree.
6. Pour the mixture into a wide and low container and place it in the freezer.
7. Every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours, stir with a fork to break up the ice crystals that form. This step is essential to obtain the typical “grainy” consistency of granita.
8. After 3 hours, the granita will be ready to be enjoyed. If it solidifies too much, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

If you want to give your granita an extra Italian touch, you can accompany the granita with some fresh whipped cream or a splash of Amaretto or Limoncello on top just before serving.

Trivia

Granita is a dessert with origins in eastern Sicily, where it is consumed not only as a dessert but also for breakfast with a warm brioche. Lemon granita is perhaps the most classic, but in Sicily you can find many different flavors, including of course the melon one.