We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Scorching summer weather got you hot and bothered? Cool yourself down with food writer and cookbook author Emiko Davies’ melon granita recipe. A gorgeous Italian frozen dessert that the kids will love eating and making together in our latest for our Cooking With Kids series.
Thanks to its simplicity, the older kids can take on this recipe pretty much all of it on their own. They can lend a helping hand with measuring the liquids, chopping (with careful supervision, of course!) the fruit and mixing granita at the end. This cool treat is a fun and light option during the warmer months of the year.
Melon Granita
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 4-6 hours of freezing time
This refreshing granita is something between a sorbet and a slushie. It’s a firm family favourite with Emiko and her two daughters because it doesn’t require any special equipment and only uses four ingredients. “Kids can learn so many things from even a simple recipe,” Davies says. “They can measure and weigh ingredients – we use a digital scale – and learn about the sugar dissolving in water to make a syrup.”
The syrup stops the mixture from freezing into a hard block of ice and if you’re not keen on melon you can switch it up. “Learn how to adapt this recipe and experiment with your own favourite flavours (or colours!)” she explains, recommending watermelon, strawberries, cherries, apricots, or any of your favourite fruits. “Importantly, the kids have to learn about patience too in this recipe, as it takes about 4-6 hours to freeze.”
Ingredients:
150g of sugar
125ml water
500-600g melon (cantaloupe) pulp
juice of 1 lemon
Method:
1. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and bring to the boil for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
2. Chop melon roughly into pieces. Place in a blender or pass through a food mill and reduce to a smooth pulp. Pour the melon pulp into a container that will fit in the freezer (preferably one that has a tight-fitting lid) and stir through the lemon juice and cooled sugar syrup. If the dish doesn’t have a lid, double-wrap well in plastic wrap.
3. Place flat in the freezer. Allow 4-6 hours or so to set, stirring every hour with a fork, particularly around the edges where it will freeze first until you have an even creamy, but icy, consistency.
4. Serve in little glasses with a spoon or straw (or both!).
Some top tips from Davies: If you have particularly sweet fruit, you may find you don’t need all the syrup, in that case, I would suggest adding it to taste, keeping in mind that once the mixture is frozen some of that sweetness will be ‘dulled’ down. A tip on choosing the container; you might be left with little choice depending on the shape of your freezer, but if you have the mixture in a wide, shallow dish such as a glass or ceramic lasagne tray or similar, it will freeze quicker than if you have it in a deep, narrow dish like a loaf tin. If you’ve left the granita too long (such as overnight) and end up with a quite solid block, simply use a fork to ‘fluff’ and grate the granita into icy flakes, place into glasses and give it a little stir before serving.
For more recipes Acquacotta: Recipes and stories from Tuscany’s Secret Silver Coast by Emiko Davies, published Hardie Grant Books in hardback, £20.