Mint and Serrano Pepper Granita

Cool your tears with, tears…

Ok, not many tears. But I implore you to add just enough of a serrano pepper to this (or any pepper you desire) to make each bite of the finished granita thoroughly remind you that yes, it is spicy. And yes, you want another bite. C’mon, live on the edge a little…

Graceful granitas

Granitas aren’t new to this ol’ blog! The first granita to grace Essential Omnivore was the Mulberry Granita, another recipe I loved because I could forage those mulberries right from a tree on my block (although for the recipe, I went about 15 blocks down my street to a friend who said her tree was heavy with ’em. I was glad to pick a whole bunch from that tree because later that summer, it was cut down to make their yard sunnier! Ah! The temporal nature of all.)

I hope you give this easy dessert a go. All it takes is time in the freezer and a bit of curiosity to check in on the ting while its freezing over. Heck, keep the fork you scrape the top of the dish with right in the freezer for even easier visits. And try serving this sweet treat the next time you’ve got friends over and you’re all looking to beat the summer. Leave them with the feeling of both cooling off and spicing up their lives. Be that person. Ok?

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Mint and Serrano Pepper Granita

One of my favorite dessert yet! Frozen icy goodness, cooling minty refreshingness, yet zippy biting hints of heat from the serranos—too good!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Freeze Time 6 hours

Servings 4 people

Author Lucia Hawley

Ingredients

• 1 cup mint leaves packed
• 2 cups filtered water
• 1/4 cup honey raw and local if possible
• 1/4 of a serrano pepper use more or less depending on how hot your individual pepper is, and how hot YOU want this dish to be!
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for one minute or until quite smooth.

2. Transfer the liquid to a wide baking dish, then put in the freezer.

3. Allow to freezer for about 45 - 60 minutes, then remove from the freezer and gently scrape the top of the surface of the granita until you start to get a sand-like texture. Scrape until you can’t anymore, then place back in the freezer.
4. Repeat this process even 20-30 minutes or so until all the frozen liquid resembles a sand-like texture.
5. Once finished, cover the granita and keep it in the freezer until ready to serve and to keep it fresh!

Recipe Notes

That cool mint and that hot serrano play well together when they’re all frozen! Granita needs a little eye on the clock while its freezing, but it’s pretty darn forgiving, especially when honey is the sweetener as it helps the liquid not freeze too hard. It’s also a superb way to use up that extra mint that starts taking over the garden this time of the year!