Imagine it’s a hot day, and you’re sitting in your backyard full of lush summer greenery and shady trees. You have just eaten a very satisfying meal. (Like this one: Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Peas and pita chips.)
As the sun is setting and the day is coming to a close, you’re feeling relaxed with a sense of culinary accomplishment. Then you take a cool, crisp, sweet mouthful of this Watermelon-Cucumber Granita that you made yourself. Aaah, life is good!
What a cool way to end a meal. I mean all kinds of cool.
Since you made this yourself, you know exactly what went into it, and it has ingredients you can spell and pronounce. This was inspired by my five-year-old daughter’s two favorite foods – watermelon and cucumber. What does she think? She gives it a big thumbs up! This makes me happy, because this granita has about half the sugar of your average ice cream serving.
I love a win-win. Don’t you?
Tips:
- If you’re using a regular cucumber, slice it lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a regular spoon. (Since the seeds are larger than an English cucumber.)
- You want to use a non-reactive bowl, like glass, ceramic or stainless steel, since the mixture has lime juice, an acid, which can cause plasticizing agents to leach out of the plastic bowl and into your food. And we don’t want that!
Notes:
- I use a high-speed blender that works well for juicing, so I don’t need to strain liquid. With a regular blender or food processor, you may want to strain liquid through a mesh strainer, since they would not be as effective at liquifying the ingredients as a high-speed blender.
- This is a recipe to make about 12 hours ahead of when you want to serve it. Optimally the granita will have 8 full hours to freeze.
Tools needed for this recipe:
- Blender or Food Processor
- Measuring cups
- Fine mesh strainer (optional, see note above)
- Spoon (for cucumber seeds) (optional)
- A wide glass bowl or ceramic or stainless steel dish with a flat bottom (ie. 8 cup/ 8.5×6.5)
Watermelon-Cucumber Granita
A super easy, but sophisticated way to cool down.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
4 cups cubed, seedless watermelon
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and sliced
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
1/3 cup sugar
Instructions
- Add the 4 cups of cubed, seedless watermelon, half of a peeled and sliced lengthwise English cucumber, juice from 1 lime and 1/2 cup of sugar into a blender and blend a few minutes until all are pureed together.
- Using a mesh strainer over your glass or ceramic dish, pour the mixture into the strainer catching the liquid into your dish that will go into the freezer. (Optional step. See note above.) You want your mixture to be at least an inch deep.
- Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, remove from the freezer and scrape sides (which should be frozen) with a spoon or a fork. You are just scraping what you can from the top layer. Mix the icy bits you have scraped into the middle, which is probably still liquid or at least slushy.
- Return to the freezer and repeat step 4 after 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- After an additional 30 minutes, repeat step 4 again.
- Do this process of scraping and freezing at least 3 times. Then keep covered in the freezer for 5 to 6 hours minimum to freeze completely.
- When ready, give it one more scrape before serving. Optimally your mixture is close to the texture of shaved ice.
- Cover and store in the freezer for up to a week for best results. (If it lasts.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 77
- Sugar: 18.8g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: .6g
- Protein: .8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: granita, dessert, low calorie, watermelon, cucumber, frozen
