a recipe // melon mojito granita

warning: this is not a dessert.  dessert implies that one must consume the dish post dinner.  this delight is meant for whenevs.  say, an early lunch or an after pool snack.  okay?  okay.  so where was i?  today during stella's nap i tinkered around in my kitchen and found all the ingredients to make a summery granita.  i improvised a bit and added some goodies to make it mojitoish.  because anything mojitoish is bomb.  and yes. sometimes the adjective "bomb" get's dropped up in here.  

ingredients:

1 really ripe melon cubed (any varietal will do.  we prefer cantaloupe!) 

the juice of one large lime

some fresh mint leaves 

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar 

to prepare, first make a simple syrup.  combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  remove from the heat and cool completely.  while syrup cools, put the cubed melon in a food process and blend until smooth.  once syrup is cooled, combine with cantaloupe, lime juice, and mint leaves in food processor and pulse well.  transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish and freeze for a good while.  my trustee cook book says 2-3 hours, but i found it needed more like 5-6.  every now and then when you come to think of it, stir it your granita with a fork to create a slushy texture.  before you serve, it should be really cold.  you can put a mint leaf in it if you're feeling sassy.   

it will keep for two weeks so if you know it's gonna get hot, make yourself some in advance! i plan on serving this as a mocktail for our dinner party tomorrow night.  the nonpreggos will get champagne on top of theirs and the preggos (there will be two of us) will get sparkling apple juice as a topper.  fun stuff, huh?  and for the record, this make our bucket list.  woo woo!