Granita Siciliana

Step 1

Pour 1 cup of water and 0.75 cup of sugar into a medium saucepan and place it over medium-high heat.

Step 2

Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves completely and the liquid looks clear with no grainy texture, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3

Remove the saucepan from heat and let the syrup cool for 5 minutes until it stops steaming.

Step 4

Place 2 cups of chopped strawberries into a blender, then pour in the cooled syrup.

Step 5

Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 0.5 teaspoon of lemon zest, and 0.125 teaspoon of salt to the blender.

Step 6

Blend on high speed until completely smooth with no visible fruit chunks, about 60 to 90 seconds.

Step 7

Pour the blended mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan, pressing gently with a spoon to extract all liquid and leave fruit pulp behind.

Step 8

Place the pan in the freezer uncovered and set a timer for 30 minutes.

Step 9

Remove the pan and scrape the surface with a fork, dragging it across the entire bottom and sides to break up any ice crystals and create a slushy texture.

Step 10

Return the pan to the freezer and repeat the scraping process every 30 minutes for 2 to 2.5 hours total, until the entire mixture looks like wet, icy snow with no liquid pooled at the bottom.

Step 11

Divide the granita equally among four serving glasses or bowls, scraping with a fork to fluff the crystals.

Step 12

Serve immediately while fully frozen and icy, so the texture stays crisp.