WATERMELON GRANITA WITH SWEET LEMON CREAM

Watermelon Granita with Sweet Lemon Cream image

A perfect, light ending to a summer meal, this watermelon granita with lemon cream is a marriage of two cuisines--Italian and Middle Eastern. It is sure to surprise the palate with its blend of sweet and tart, crunchy and creamy. The granita can be stored in the freezer and prepared days or weeks ahead. A simple dish to prepare, the granita can be served with or without the cream. Serve granita and labneh cream with a drizzle of honey and a sprig of mint.

Provided by Leah Hadad/Tribes-A-Dozen

Categories Desserts Fruit Dessert Recipes Lemon Dessert Recipes

Time 1h55m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

⅔ cup water
⅔ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 leaves fresh mint
1 lime, juiced
1 pinch kosher salt
10 cups cubed seeded watermelon
8 ounces labneh (thick Middle Eastern-style yogurt)
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste
½ lemon, zested
3 tablespoons water, or as needed

Steps:

Combine water, sugar, vanilla extract, and fresh mint in a heavy bottomed saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat; mix in lime juice and salt.
Place watermelon in batches in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl, using a spoon to press out as much juice as possible; stir in sugar mixture.
Pour watermelon mixture into a 10x14-inch glass pan. Freeze, scraping the surface every 30 minutes with a fork until ice crystals form throughout, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Mix labneh, honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a small bowl. Whisk in water 1 teaspoon at a time until consistency is light and creamy. Top granita with cream.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 99.9 calories, Carbohydrate 13.9 g, Cholesterol 12.6 mg, Fat 3.2 g, Protein 1.3 g, SaturatedFat 1.9 g, Sodium 49.7 mg, Sugar 12.6 g