Melon With Basil Lime Granita Recipes

MELON WITH BASIL-LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• Bring water and 2/3 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Purée syrup with basil and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon lime juice until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart shallow nonreactive container, pressing on and then discarding solids.
• Freeze basil-lime syrup, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, until evenly frozen, about 2 hours.
• One hour before serving, cut melons into small wedges and peel. Combine in a large bowl. Whisk together remaining 2 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon sugar and pour over fruit. Let macerate, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Scrape granita with a fork, crushing any lumps. Serve melon in shallow bowls, drizzled with melon liquid and topped with granita and mint.

LEMON-BASIL GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar with 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature.
• Add the basil to the sugar syrup and muddle the leaves with the base of a wooden spoon. Let steep for 1 hour. Strain the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish (discard the basil). Stir in the lemon juice and vodka, if using. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 2 hours. Scrape with a fork to form small crystals in the ice every 30 minutes to an hour until the mixture is fully frozen, about 1 hour more.
• Serve the granita in chilled glasses, garnished with the small basil leaves.

WATERMELON, LIME AND MINT GRANITA

Steps:

• Working in 2 batches, puree watermelon in a food processor. Strain puree through a sieve and strain out solids, forcing liquid out with a wooden spoon. Discard solids. Combine the watermelon puree, lime juice, mint and sugar in a 9 by 13-inch metal pan. Place mixture in the freezer, scraping thoroughly with a fork every 20 to 30 minutes for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the granita resembles coarse crystals. Scrape 1 last time and spoon into parfait glasses or bowls. Top with a mint sprig.

WATERMELON, GINGER AND LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• In a blender, blend the lime juice and watermelon together, creating watermelon water.
• Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds.
• Place 1/2 cup of the watermelon water into a saucepan and add the sugar, lime zest and ginger coins. Bring the mixture to a simmer to dissolve the sugar and infuse the liquid with the ginger and lime flavor. Set aside to cool.
• Add the grated ginger to the remaining watermelon water. Once the syrup is cool, remove the ginger coins and mix into the watermelon water. Pour the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Place the dish into the freezer to chill.
• Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture with a fork to break up the ice crystals and to keep it light and fluffy. Continue scraping every 30 minutes for at least 2 hours. Scrape the granita into elegant glasses and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
• Cook's Notes:.
• Taste your watermelon, this will tell you how much sugar to add to your simple syrup.
• The fork helps to create ice crystals that will help give you a slushy consistency.

BASIL AND LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• In a pan, dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring it to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, and add the basil leaves. Mix and leave to cool.
• When it is cold, remove the basil leaves and discard them. Add the lime juice, including any fleshy bits, and mix.
• Pour into a large freezer proof container, and put into the freezer.
• Every 15 minutes, for 2 hours, take out of the freezer and mix it up. Then every half an hour until the granita appears grainy and the crystals have been broken down. It should resemble snow or coarse sand.
• Enjoy!

SUMMER MELON WITH BASIL-MINT GRANITA

Steps:

• Mix sugar, chopped mint, basil, and lime peel in medium bowl. Mash with wooden spoon until herbs turn dark green, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and 1 1/4 cups water. Let stand 1 hour. Strain into large bowl, pressing on solids. Transfer 1/2 cup lime syrup to small pitcher; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining lime syrup into 13x9x2-inch metal baking dish. Place dish in freezer. Stir syrup with fork every hour until frozen, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep frozen.)
• Divide melon wedges among 8 shallow soup bowls. Drizzle melon with reserved lime syrup. Scrape granita into flakes with fork. Spoon generous 1/2 cup granita atop melon in each bowl. Sprinkle with sliced mint leaves, garnish with mint sprigs, and serve.