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Watermelon Rosé Granité with Summer Fruit

Serves 6

This granité is perfect for a summer day-sweet and cold like sorbet, but with larger crystals that give it an invigorating texture. Imagine the crisp taste of a slice of watermelon, but infused with the richness of wine. The fruit rounds out the dish with its contrasting smoothness and rich aroma. When I wrote this recipe I had Paradise Ridge's Bride's Blush Rosé in mind, but you can use any Syrah or Grenache Rosé provided it's not too sweet.

This dish is gorgeous when served in a martini glass, with the pinks and yellows showing through the sides. Chilling the glasses will give them a nice frost, which adds to the visual texture; the cold glass also keeps the granité cold longer, giving you more time to savor its icy character.

For the granité
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 cups watermelon juice (one medium watermelon)
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 1/2 cups Rosé
For the summer fruit and Rosé syrup
  • 4 medium ripe peaches (yellow, white, or a combination of the two)
  • 1/4 cup Rosé
  • approximately 1/4 cup sugar (more or less, depending on your preference and the sweetness of the peaches)
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 6 mint sprigs
Making the granité:

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over a low flame for long enough to dissolve the sugar. As the sugar solution cools, cube the watermelon and remove the seeds. Place the cubes in a blender and puree. Combine the watermelon juice, sugar water, limejuice and wine.

Pour the liquid into a glass baking dish that's wide enough so the mixture is 1/2-inch to 1-inch deep. Freeze it overnight, or for six hours during the day. (If you have room in the freezer, put your serving glasses in now to chill.) Once the liquid is completely frozen, run a fork through and scrape the ice gently to create large crystals. Continue this process until it is all a loosely textured granité. Return the dish to the freezer until you're ready to serve.

Making the fruit and Rosé syrup:

Wipe the peaches clean but leave the skin on (they add flavor and color to the syrup). Cut each fruit in half and remove the pit, then cut each half into 4 wedges and cut each wedge in half. This will give you 16 pieces from each peach.

Place the peaches in a bowl and add the sugar and wine. Gently toss together until the sugar is dissolved and the peaches are coated. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour, tossing occasionally. The peaches should soften a bit and the syrup should take on a slight peachy flavor and a rosé color, from the peach skins. Add the blueberries for the last 15 minutes of marinating.

Serving the dish:

Place a generous scoop of the granité in each chilled glass. Surround it with the marinated fruit, then spoon some of the syrup over the fruit. Garnish with a sprig of mint. For a little crunch, include a plain biscotti on the side.