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 skin, and cut the flesh into pieces.
2. Place the melon flesh in a blender or food processor.
3. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil with sugar until completely dissolved to create a simple syrup. Let it cool down.
4. Add the cooled syrup and lemon juice to the melon in the blender.
5. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into a wide, shallow container and put 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 achieve the “granular” texture typical of granita.
8. After 3 hours, the granita will be ready to enjoy. If it becomes too solid, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

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

Curiosity

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