Cantaloupe Granita Recipes

CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, cut melon in half lengthwise. Remove seeds with a spoon, and discard. Slice off and discard skin and pale-green flesh. Cut melon into large chunks.
• Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and puree until smooth. Transfer to a nonreactive stainless steel bowl, and set aside.
• Combine sugar, lemon juice, and the water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
• Stir sugar syrup into melon puree; place in freezer, uncovered, until mixture is chunky, about 1 1/2 hours, whisking every 20 minutes to keep it from becoming too solid. To serve, divide among four shallow bowls.

CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth, then pour into a 13- by 9-inch metal pan and freeze until mixture becomes a firm slush, at least 40 minutes. Scrape with a fork and serve in chilled glasses.

CANTALOUPE AND MINT GRANITA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and 1 cup mint leaves over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain before using.
• In a blender, puree the cooled syrup, cantaloupe, and lime juice until smooth. Taste, and adjust the sweetness by blending in 1 extra tablespoon of sugar at a time. Add the remaining mint leaves and blend until finely chopped. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-by-2-inch glass baking dish and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Use the tines of a fork to scrape the granita into chilled bowls and serve.

CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and water over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the mint. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
• Puree the fruit in a food processor until liquefied. Pour the fruit into a medium bowl and add the salt. Remove the mint leaves from the syrup. Add the syrup to the pureed fruit and mix well.
• Pour the cantaloupe mixture into a pre-chilled 7 by 12-inch glass baking dish. Place it uncovered into the freezer. Stir with a fork every 1/2 hour until almost completely frozen but still grainy, about 3 to 4 hours.
• Cooking Notes: This works best in 2 glass loaf pans or one 7 by 12-inch glass baking dish. The only critical point here is NOT to stir it past the almost frozen state or the ice crystals will become too fine and hard to scrape.
• Entertaining Notes: To serve, find a really interesting glass or bowl and dip it in cold water. Put the bowl into the freezer for 15 minutes; repeat. The result will be a frosted glass that looks great and sets the right backdrop for the granita.

CHAMPAGNE CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Puree the cantaloupe in a blender until smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine the wine and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved; allow the bubbles time to settle. Add the pureed cantaloupe, the lime juice and the lime zest to the bowl. Stir well.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Freeze for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and, using a fork, scrape the granita into flakes. Freeze for another 2 to 3 hours.
• Serve the granita in martini glasses, garnished with a mint leaf.

CANTALOUPE GRANITA

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover; blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into 8- or 9-inch square glass baking dish.
• Freeze 30 minutes. When ice crystals begin to form at edges of dish, stir mixture with fork. Freeze 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours longer, stirring every 30 minutes, until firm.
• To serve, spoon into individual bowls.