Pineapple Basil Granita | Summer Lovely!

Granita has roots in Italy as a sorbet-like dessert or a savoury-sweet palate cleanser between courses. All you need to know, though, is that it’s a refreshing frozen summer treat that beats the heat! This Pineapple Basil Granita is simple to make and delightful to eat! (Okay, I’m done rhyming now…)

Nutrition

Tropical pineapple is the perfect mid-to-late summer fruit – full of vitamin C, antioxidants and enzymes. It also pairs beautifully with fresh garden herbs, taking this sweet fruit to new heights in the kitchen. Basil takes the spotlight in this recipe, but I encourage you to try mint and, if you’re adventurous, rosemary, lavender, and maybe sage or tarragon!

This dessert is an especially lovely way to wrap up an al fresco summer meal in your backyard with friends.

Recipe Notes

You can use 1 cup of pineapple juice instead of going through the process of making your own, but I chose to do it this way as it is way more fresh, and I like to leave a little pulp in for some nutritious fibre to keep my blood sugar in balance.

Pineapple Basil Granita

Recipe by Emily HardingCourse: AIP, Dessert, Fruit, Paleo, Recipes, Vegan

Servings

2-4

servings

Total time

2

hours 

Recipe inspired by the lovely Sophie Dahl.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe pineapple, skin removed

• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, coarsely chopped

• pinch Himalayan salt

Method

• Dice pineapple and add to a food processor or blender. Whiz until thoroughly blended. Place pineapple into a sieve or nut milk bag and squeeze out juices over a shallow freezer-safe bowl.
• You should end up with a cup or more of juice. Use juice “as is” (the traditional way), or add 1-2 Tbsp of pulp back into the juice for some added fibre if desired.
• Lightly mix the chopped basil and salt into the pineapple juice.
• Place bowl in freezer for an hour, scraping and mashing once or twice with a fork. Freeze another hour and remove, scraping with the fork again to achieve a slushy, granular texture. How granular you make it is completely your choice – they do it all different ways in Italy!

Love this Pineapple Basil Granita? Try these recipes next:

Strawberry Rhubarb Gummies

Coconut Yoghurt with Winter Citrus

Dark Chocolate Banana Pops