Real Life Recipe: Giada's Granita

Giada deLaurentis has somehow figured out the secret to not gaining weight despite being on a cooking show, and for that I applaud her (although I still love you, Paula Deen!). It might be because of recipes like her granita, which is so simple in its genius it's almost hard to believe I can do it at home. I've substituted lemons in Giada's version for watermelon in mine - either way it's sure to be a light and refreshing dessert for the summer.

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2/3 cup pureed watermelon
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• Pinch salt
• 1 lemon, for zesting

Directions

Stir the water and 3/4 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat just until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the puree. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch square glass dish. Cover and freeze, stirring occasionally, until the liquid just becomes slushy, about 2 hours. Using a fork, scrape the granita every 30 minutes until it is completely made up of ice crystals. (The granita can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen, and scrape every so often so that the crystals stay loose.)

Whisk the ricotta, remaining sugar, and pinch of salt in a medium bowl to blend. Spoon the granita into dessert bowls. Top with a dollop of the ricotta.

Big frosty kisses