Granita: Scrape, Don't Churn

Granita is the simplest frozen dessert in any home cook's toolkit — no ice cream machine needed. Beverly made a sour pickle granita and Keith made a basil-mint granita; both used the same method. Combine your liquid (juice, brewed tea, infused syrup) with sugar to taste, pour into a wide shallow metal pan, and freeze. After about an hour, drag a fork through the surface to break up ice crystals. Repeat every 30 minutes for two to three hours until the whole pan is loose, fluffy, glittering shards. The slow scrape-as-you-freeze method is what gives granita its signature crystalline texture.