Watermelon and lime granita

(serves 8-10)

Summer and watermelon are the perfect combo! Maybe because watermelons are 92% water (and only 6% sugar), it feels like the perfect thirst-quenching drink for a warm summer afternoon. I decided to make this instead of a real dessert to end our festive celebrations because after several days of over-eating over the Christmas period I just couldn't quite enjoy the thought of cheesecake (the other seemingly fitting option for our cheese-y christmas) or something equally decadent. Definitely a great option for a quick and easy, make-a-day-ahead dessert!

Prep time: 20 min + scraping 2x over 2 hours, then set overnight

Ingredients
2kg watermelon
2-3 limes 
1/2 to 3/4 C caster sugar
handful of mint, to serve
Special equipment; blender/juicer

Method
1. Put the zest of one lime into a small saucepan.
2. Juice the limes, and then juice the watermelon in a juicer (or blender if you're lazy but it's hard to mix it all up without any liquid initially!). Combine the juices.

3. Pour about 1 cup of the watermelon lime juice into the saucepan with the zest, add in the sugar over medium heat until melted. You can start with less sugar and add to taste.
NB. The amount of sugar depends on how sweet your watermelon is, and also how health conscious you want to be! It does need to taste quite sweet as it will mix in with the rest of the juice, and it'll taste less sweet once it's frozen! 
4. Blend in with the rest of the juice and then place in a metal baking tray and place into the freezer. Scrape and mix it around after an hour, and then again after another hour and then leave it to set overnight. This helps to keep it fluffy and not too icy in texture.

After the last scrape, in the morning it's frozen but not icy

5. To serve, scrape with a fork and serve the shavings in a glass bowl with a couple of mint leaves!

Pretty and refreshing!