Pepino Melon & Chia Seeds Granita

Pepino Melon & Chia Seeds Granita

Blend pepino melon with mint-lemon syrup and chia seeds, freeze in a shallow pan, and fork-scrape into flaky granita—a simple Italian-style ice for hot days. Adapted from Sujhey Beisser at Five Senses Palate.

Ingredients

• 6 pepino melons (pepino dulce), quartered
• 1 lemon (zest strips and juice)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 10 mint leaves
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

Method

1. Mint-lemon syrup: Cut two strips of zest from the lemon. In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon zest strips, and mint. Cook gently over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and steep 10 minutes. Strain; discard the zest and mint.
2. Add the pepino melon quarters, lemon juice, strained syrup, and chia seeds to a blender. Blend on medium speed about 2 minutes until smooth.
3. Pour into a shallow freezer-safe container and freeze.
4. Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture with a fork to break up ice crystals and return to the freezer.
5. After about 2 hours and 4 scrapes, the granita should have a flaky shaved-ice texture. Scrape once more before serving. It can stay frozen longer—just fork-scrape again when ready to serve.