Watermelon, Basil & Lime Granita

Serves 2.

I'll hazard a guess and say there's a whole host of you out there who love a summer daiquiri, am I right? Mango, banana, strawberry..what's your favourite flavour? (I'll take mango). Maybe your kitchen is devoid of a high powered blender to churn up your ice and you've therefore not yet mastered the cocktail art. Well I've got good news for you lot, this granita is just like a daiquiri and is as simple to make. I've got friends popping over for a BBQ this week and hey presto the mocktails (soon to become cocktails) are now made and sitting (very pretty) in my freezer. 

The even better news is you don't have to dirty your glasses if you don't want to, if double dipping is kocher in your house ;-)

You'll need:
4 cups watermelon flesh
1 lime
1 really heaped handful fresh basil

Juice the watermelon, lime and basil. Pour the juice into a 20cm x 30xm shallow metal tray and place into the freezer for 4-5 hours, scraping with a fork every hour or so to form crystals (thus preventing it from freezing into an ice block).

To serve you have a few options. You might like to scoop out the flesh of half a watermelon and use it as a serving bowl as in the picture below, or simply divide between glassware. Top with seasonal fruits, extra basil (smash the leaves a little between your palms to release the oils and aroma) and good quality coconut yoghurt.

This is an amazingly simple granita base that can most definitely be enjoyed as is, but why not play around with adding any of the following ingredients to your mix. We think these flavours would pair beautifully:

Red chilli
Cucumber
Coconut water
Black peppercorns

And here's a cheeky idea for the grown ups. Add a splash of your fave boozy spirit (100% agave tequila, potato, grape or my fave vanilla vodka perhaps?) and rim your glass with pink Himalayan sea salt. THI approved watermelon margarita, hellooooo summer. Yes please.