Blueberry Granita

Cool off in this heatwave with this refreshing zingy Blueberry Granita! ❤

What do you do when it is 40 ºC (104 ºF) outside and the sun is having a little too much fun, parading those red hot rays in the midst of human kind? You stay home, crank up the air conditioning and treat yourself to oodles of chilled stuff. It could be some creamy mango sorbet, pitchers of strawberry lemonade downed like shots, entire tubs of ice cream, cold salads or no-bake cheesecake… you get the drift. My personal favourite is this Blueberry Granita!

I’ve always loved the idea of granita. Frozen fruit pulp, scraped into speckled crushed ice, each unique crystal glistening in the light. When placed on the tongue, it melts in a rapid frenzy, morphing through an array of delightful textures before it slips down the throat, cooling everything in its path.

The first time I came across the concept of granita, I was watching a contestant make a rather sophisticated dessert on Masterchef Australia. “To introduce texture,” she said. Instantly I imagined a granita to be a complex dessert element, one that is difficult to execute; until I saw her blitzing grapefruit and sugar, emptying it out into a metal tin and chucking it into the blast freezer, bringing it out at intervals to ‘fluff up’.

I was taken aback because this crackling frozen dessert followed the essence of making a basic Gola, an Indian street food of crushed ice shaped into a cup, steeped in fruit squash. A treat I’ve enjoyed numerous times while away at college! Except, of course, granita is far tastier what with being made from the fruit pulp itself, as opposed to fruit squash being poured over flavourless ice in a gola.

Before I ramble on, here’s what you need:

• Fresh Blueberries – 340 g, washed
• Granulated Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Cold Water – 3/4 cup
• Fresh Lime Juice – 2 tsp
• A pinch of salt

Here’s how you make this fruity, refreshing Blueberry Granita:

• In a blender, mixer/grinder or food processor, blitz the blueberries, sugar and lime juice until smooth. Add in the water and salt and blend until well incorporated.
• Pour the blueberry mixture into a metal tin, cover with cling wrap and freeze for an hour.
• After an hour, take the tin out, lightly scrape the frozen bits down the sides of the tin and push them to the centre. Repeat this at hourly intervals until a solid slab is formed. This will take about 4 hours, or more, depending on the kind of freezer and how crammed it is.
• Once completely frozen, rake the granita with a fork to form crumbly crystals. Freeze for 30 more minutes.
• Rake one final time and serve chilled as is or with a dollop of fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

You can make granita with pretty much any fruit and different liqueurs too. But I’ve found berries to be the best players. Firm, fleshy blueberries do an incredible job, adding just the right amount of velvetiness when blitzed, to make granita that is crunchy at first, but smooth and lush when melting.

Of all frozen desserts this Blueberry Granita, or any granita, is the simplest to make. No fancy equipment needed, and barely any effort. The only catch? There’s a long wait time till the granita is ready to eat, and you’ll need a lot of patience to get that gorgeous texture. Apart from that, easy-peasy! Just rake it up with a fork at hourly intervals and within about 4-5 hours it’s good to go!

If there’s one word to sum up the flavours in this frozen treat, it’s got to be ‘REVIVING’! Bursting with freshness, subtly sweet and mildly zesty, this icy dessert is dotted with specks of blueberry. Simple, hearty summer goodness!

If you’re looking for ways to get through this summer without melting into a puddle, I suggest making a big batch of this Blueberry Granita, stat! You can thank me later. 😉 ❤

Want to Pin This recipe for later? Here you go…

Psst… If you’d like to, you could come check me out on Pinterest! I pin a tonne of fun stuff – chocolate, lots of dessert, easy weeknight recipes; and home decor (I’m obsessed with boho chic living rooms!)😛

Also, for regular updates on what’s happening in The Foodscape kitchen, follow me on Instagram at @thefoodscape! You’ll love all the deliciousness there, I promise! ❤

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