For me this granita is summer in a glass. Unadulterated strawberry flavour, no frills or furbelows, cream* or meringues – just that intense heady fragrance that says Wimbledon, Henley and lunch in the garden. We have been having a fabulous summer so far, lots of long hot sunny days interspersed with cool swims and trips to the beach. On occasion we have needed something chilled and delicious to temper the heat and this is just the job. A matter of minutes to make and then you have the most perfect summer pudding or simple afternoon refresher.
If you have an ice cream machine then a few minutes churning will make this into a smooth tangy sorbet. I am just as happy with a granita, even easier and the seeds don’t bother me in the icy rubble whereas in a sorbet I employ the sieving step. Do make this whilst our own fabulous British strawberries are still around.
Strawberry Granita
If you leave the granita too long in the freezer without mixing just leave the container out for 15 minutes and then scratch it all up and freeze until you are ready to serve. I haven’t given you much of a serving suggestion in the pictures but the colour was so vibrant and glorious I wanted to show it off. Serve this in small glasses either on its own or *you could try it with a big blob of lightly whipped cream on top – see, strawberries and cream.
450g strawberries
150g golden caster sugar
500ml water
Juice of 1 lemon
Whizz all the ingredients in a blender. If the seeds bother you sieve it then pour into a plastic box with a lid. Freeze for an hour then remove and stir the slushy mixture around. Repeat this step several times scratching it all up into gorgeous icy crystals. Alternatively pour into an ice cream machine and churn for sorbet. Keep frozen and serve in small glasses. Serves 6 with seconds.
If, like me, you love a granita then why not try my Iced Tea Granita (July 2013) or Blood Orange Granita (February 2013) as well.