Watermelon Granita and Rosé Slushie

This super simple, frozen watermelon and rosé slushie is all you need this summer. Fresh watermelon and basil granita is topped with dry rosé wine to make a fruity and refreshing cocktail.

The other day, I got home from yoga to an “excessive heat warning” in our area. Coming from Florida, I’ve never been pre-warned about excessive heat, but boy it was sweltering. I opened our balcony door only to be greeted by a wave of hot, humid air that I am pretty sure came straight from the Amazon rainforest. It was toasty. And it made me want something bright and refreshing, like this cute little watermelon granita and rosé slushie.

Now, I’m not usually a slushie girl. I have never been a fan of that blended ice texture (frappucinos have never been my cup of tea…or coffee), but granita is a whole different story. Granita is an ice-y Sicilian dessert, made of simply sugar, water, and fruit. It’s fluffier in texture than a sno-cone, but a little icier than Italian ice and it is perfect for slushie-ing.

how to make homemade granita

Granita is pretty simple and can be made with basically any fruit. I really like using watermelon since I’m always trying to find ways to use it up before it goes bad.

First, we make a simple syrup. Equal parts sugar and water are simmered together with a handful of fresh basil because it’s summertime, baby! Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool completely before straining out the basil leaves. Then place a bunch of cubed watermelon into a high-speed blender, along with the basil syrup, and some salt. Blend it until it’s super smooth and pour it into a flat baking dish. The granita goes into the freezer for a total of 3-4 hours. Every 30 minutes, take the granita out and use a fork to scrape and fluff the granita, making sure to get all of the sides and edges. This process prevents large ice crystals from forming, giving a softer texture. Repeat this until the granita is completely frozen, then scoop it into glasses and top with enough rosé to reach that perfect slushie consistency.

other ways to use granita

This recipe, like most granita recipes, makes quite a large amount. Granita is frozen, so it will hold a long time in the freezer and keep your fruit from going bad and it can be used a variety of applications outside of slushies. Here are a few ideas!

• Use it for fancy plated desserts: One of my very favorite plated desserts consisted of a little olive oil cake, a creamy anglaise sauce, granita, and a bunch of fresh fruit. You can elevate pretty much any dessert with a forkful of granita.

• Serve it with ice cream: You can do a little ice cream/Italian ice-style layering situation with vanilla ice cream and fruit granita. Creamy and delicious!

• Eat it by itself: In Sicily, granita is often served as palate cleanser between courses, or even eaten for breakfast. I could possibly get behind the idea of starting my day with dessert and cappuccino.

Yield: makes one 9x13 baking dish of granita, about 1 quart

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Watermelon Granita and Rosé Slushie

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 5 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 20 M

This super simple, frozen watermelon and rosé slushie is all you need this summer. Fresh watermelon and basil granita is topped with dry rosé wine to make a fruity and refreshing cocktail.

Ingredients

• 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
• 100 g water
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 9 cups watermelon, cubed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• dry rosé wine

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and basil leaves. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely before straining out the basil leaves.
2. Place watermelon, basil syrup, and salt in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the watermelon juice into a 9x13 sized baking dish and place in the freezer.
3. Use a fork to scrape and break up the granita as it freezes every 30 minutes or so over the course of 3-4 hours. Granita is ready when it is completely frozen, flaky and fluffy in texture.
4. To make the slushees, fill a glass with watermelon granita. Pour chilled rosé over the granita and enjoy!

Notes:

If you want to leave the basil out of this, you can use the same ratios to make a plain simple syrup instead. You can also substitute another herb if that floats your boat.

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Olive Oil Granola Fruit Crisp

A very easy, accidentally vegan summer fruit crisp recipe. Bright summer berries are topped with crunchy olive oil granola and then baked until bubbly.

summer berries and an olive oil granola fruit crisp

I have three criteria for summer desserts. 1) FRUIT! Give me all the berries, cherries, and stone fruit that the season has to offer. 2) Simple is better- I want easy, toss together, pantry recipes that can be made quickly, adapted easily, and shared with a crowd. 3) Topped with ice cream. All good summer desserts should be able to be topped with a big scoop of ice cream.

Lucky for us, today’s new recipe meets all of our stringent summer dessert criteria. This olive oil granola fruit crisp, is ridiculously easy to mix together, is accidentally vegan and can very easily be made gluten-free. The crumble topping is so versatile and you can use it with any of your favorite fruits, and fruit crisps and vanilla ice cream go together like PB&J.

what is a fruit crisp

When it comes to a baked fruit dessert (ie. cobblers, crisps, crumbles), it’s all about the topping. According to my personal dictionary of dessert words, the definitions for each are as follows: cobbler- fruit topped with a biscuit or cake like topping (this would include a liquid ingredient, like buttermilk or heavy cream, in the recipe), crumble- fruit topped with a thick, streusel like topping (when developing recipes, if I include cold butter, I generally consider it a crumble), and crisp- a lighter streusel topping, generally with oats and some sort of nut.

Again, these are my personal working definitions and opinions may vary (we haven’t even included buckles and clafoutis!). Ultimately, a fruit crisp consists of fresh summer fruit topped with a lighter, crunchy layer, making it 100% okay to eat this for breakfast.

how to make an olive oil granola fruit crisp

You guys know how I feel about olive oil in baking. I was actually thinking about it the other day and I think that olive oil might be my number 1 favorite baking ingredient. It’s ridiculously versatile and I just love the tiny, savory quality it gives to sweet recipes. It’s the simplest way I know to elevate a recipe.

For the crisp topping, olive oil and maple syrup (you could use honey) are whisked together and then poured over a bowl of granola-esque goodies—oats, walnuts, coconut, brown sugar. There is a touch of flour in this recipe, which helps to bind everything together, but you could easily substitute buckwheat flour or a cup-for-cup gluten free flour. Everything is tossed together until just moistened and then spooned over some macerated berries. It’s baked until crispy and golden and bubbly, then topped with vanilla ice cream, a glug of olive oil, and a pinch of flaky salt.

You can very easily use another fruit, like peaches or cherries or nectarines. I recommend eating this outside for maximum summer vibes.

Yield: makes one 9" pie dish

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Olive Oil Granola Fruit Crisp

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

A very easy, accidentally vegan summer fruit crisp recipe. Bright summer berries are topped with crunchy olive oil granola and then baked until bubbly.

Ingredients

for the berry filling

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, quartered
• 6 oz fresh raspberries
• 6 oz fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon

for the olive oil granola topping

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 6 tbsp high-quality, fruity olive oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch to break up any clumps.
3. Place fruit in a large bowl and toss with sugar and cornstarch mixture. Add lemon juice and toss to coat. Let macerate while you prepare the topping.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, walnuts, and coconut. In a smaller bowl, whisk together olive oil and maple syrup until combined. Add the olive oil and maple syrup to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to stir well, until everything is moistened.
5. Pour fruit into a deep 9” round baking dish. Place crumble topping in an even layer on top of the fruit and bake for 40-45 minutes, until fruit is bubbly and topping is deeply golden brown. Let cool for 15-20 minutes, and then serve warm with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Buckwheat and Black Plum Crumble

This might be my favorite recipe of the spring. It’s simple, crumbly, and just look at that shade of pink! Plums are just the most beautiful and magical little fruits. This is my go to crumble topping and it’s the very best time of year for fruit crumbles. They can be adapted for any fruit you have on hand, require very few ingredients, can be made ahead of time and warmed up….really the possibilities are endless. This recipe uses black plums because there was a bounty of them a few weeks ago at my local market, but you can easily substitute any stone fruit (peaches, pears), apples, or berries or cherries. The important thing to remember when working with baked fruit desserts is to adjust your sugar and cornstarch levels based on the natural sweetness and liquid of the fruit you are working with. Taste your fruit first! If your plums are on the riper side and are fairly sweet when you bite into them, reduce the sugar a bit. If they’re on the tarter side, increase it to your preference. Fruits with a higher liquid content will produce more juice when macerating and baking, so a little more cornstarch may be needed for berries or cherries.

I love the addition of buckwheat flour to this crumble topping; it provides a nuttiness and complexity to an otherwise ordinary dessert. (It also makes this dessert gluten free, which can be helpful if you are sharing with friends.) If you don’t have buckwheat flour on hand, feel free to substitute all purpose flour, spelt flour, or whole wheat flour. I like a hefty crumble to fruit topping so this recipe makes a hearty amount. If you want to use less topping, the crumble can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Buckwheat and Black Plum Crumble

Yield: 4 small ramekins 

Ingredients: 

for the filling

1.5 lbs (about 3) large black plums, sliced

2 T (30 g) granulated sugar

2 T (30 g) brown sugar

1 T lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

for the topping

1/4 cup (35 g) buckwheat flour

1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats

3 T (40 g) brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp kosher salt

4 T (57 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Procedure: 

1. Place plum slices in a large bowl. Add sugar, brown sugar, and lemon juice and toss to combine. Let sit about 30 minutes, while you make the crumble. 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine buckwheat flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. 

3. Add cold butter to flour mixture and mix on medium speed until butter is evenly distributed and completely incorporated. (If making ahead of time, the crumble mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.)

4. Add cornstarch to plums and stir to incorporate. 

5. Preheat oven to 350° F. Divide fruit evenly among four small ramekins (or place in a 10” cast iron). Top with each with a thick layer of buckwheat crumble.

6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve warm with ice cream. 

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