An Easy Watermelon & Cream Granita
A refreshing summer dessert that's very low effort!
Granita is such an easy dessert that always reminds me of my summer spent working at Rita’s Italian Ice (still good, tbh—I love the cantaloupe flavor). All you need is a some good fruit, sugar, and a little acid to make a perfect frozen dessert. No ice cream machine or popsicle molds needed! I made a batch of this watermelon granita for dessert after a small dinner party last week, where the main course was homemade pizzas. I can’t fathom hosting guests without serving dessert post meal, so granita was truly the perfect option for a light treat after a lot of carbs!
10 years ago when I lived in Brooklyn, I had the idea to start hosting a supper club for my friends. I thought it was really going to take off and be a cute side hustle, but I’ll be honest and just tell you up front it was a series of 1. I still had fun doing it and I really cherish the memory of serving 8 people dinner in a 3 bedroom apartment that was actually a 2 bedroom with a converted living room (my tiny room, of course). Living in Bed-Stuy at that time was very different than it is now—I remember it was such a big deal when we got our first coffee shop, Myrtle & Marcy, around the corner from our little apartment. The good old days, as they say.
Our kitchen and dining area was our living room and where we hung out with friends. I somehow crammed everyone in there, plus myself, for a four course meal. I made some kind of simple salad, a chunky looking soup (pictured below), not very good bread, and I’ve totally forgotten what I served for the main course, but I remember overcooking it. For dessert I served a large raspberry macaron, which brings me to my point of recounting this story: I love overcomplicating things. I probably made the macarons 3 times before getting them right (or close to it, at least), but I was determined to serve those because they would be just perfect in my mind.
When I host now, at the tender age of 31, I’ve been trying to remove stressful moments as much as possible. I realized over the last few years I’m not great at dealing with stress, even if I can operate well in a high stress environment. I think some of this comes from trauma and PTSD, as I’ve suffered through a lot of loss and grief in the last 5 years. So why am I creating stress for myself when hosting friends, when it’s supposed to be fun? That seems counter-intuitive and a little like self punishment. So now the vibes are prep ahead, make things the day before if you can, and simplify wherever possible. If I have the bandwidth, I still love to do a fancy dessert.
Having people over for a meal is a truly special occasion. I can count on one hand how many friends invite me over for a home cooked meal, and it’s less than 5. No shade, but people don’t really host (or cook?) anymore. If they do, it’s for pizza delivery or something else from DoorDash. This is still a form of hosting, if more casual, but I think something special lies in cooking something from scratch for people you love. I know a lot of people are scared to cook for someone and “mess it up,” like me making macarons 3 times... But the small errors are negligible and most people have no idea they’re even there in the first place, they’re usually just happy to be there. Please, if you’re nervous to host: don’t be! Invite your friends over. They’ll love it.
All that to say, this granita was the easiest damn thing I’ve ever made for dessert. And I’m good with that, because it was really delicious. All you have to do is puree the watermelon—you can use a big blender, immersion blender, or food processor. Add some sugar, a little lime juice, and pour it in a pan. Place it in the freezer and scrape the mixture every 30 minutes to 1 hour until it’s frozen and flaky, almost like a snow cone’s texture. Serve it with whipped cream for a textural delight (for your pleasure). I used a can of whipped cream—admittedly, it was Beurre D’Isigny.
Watermelon & Cream Granita
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Freeze Time: 2-3 hours
Yield: 8+ servings
1 small watermelon (about 8 cups cubed)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lime
A good can of whipped cream (or homemade), for serving
Blend the watermelon cubes until they’re broken down into a liquid. Pour this through a fine mesh strainer (technically optional, but makes a smoother texture).
Stir in the sugar and lime juice. Pour this into a large metal baking dish or something similar and place it in the freezer.
Every 30 minutes to an hour, pull the pan out and scrape the surface with a fork. At first there won’t be many ice crystals, but as the time passes more will form and the scraping job will get a bit tougher.
Once the mixture is flaky and frozen, it’s ready to serve. Layer into a mason jar or another serving dish with whipped cream: I like to do granita, then whipped cream, more granita, more whipped cream. Enjoy!
Storage Note: The granita will stay perfect for several hours, so you can make it ahead! You can also store it in airtight containers and enjoy it for days afterwards—just try not to pack it in too tight so it keeps its light consistency, but you can break it up with a fork again if needed!
Absolutely love this, Alex! Both the granita (which looks incredible by the way!) and your thoughts on hosting. It's so true that people are just happy to be there. To be thought of, I guess.