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.
Watermelon Granita and Rosé Slushie
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
