Strawberry Mojito Granita

And so the summer begins!

It's hot outside. And in this weather, there's nothing better than a cool refreshing mojito. I love them. I discovered them when I lived in Philly. There was a Cuban restaurant around the corner from where I worked and my co-workers and I would go for happy hour. The mojitios were $1.50. For a poor college student with no A/C, they were my survival tool through the summer heat.

This week, we got fresh strawberries and mint from my CSA. Strawberry mojitos, yummy. Since I can never eat them fast enough and I can't exactly get drunk on mojitos while watching my twins, I decided to make a granita.  Taking a cue from my college days, I merged the two together and came up with a Strawberry Mojito Granita

For those of you who don't know what a granita is, it's frozen dessert similar to water ice. The awesome thing is you don't need any special equipment to make this. All you need is a fork, a shallow baking dish,a blender, and a freezer. Two hours later you have a cool refreshing dessert that the whole family will love.

Now, I didn't use any alcohol to make this, but you can add a shot or two of rum into the mix before you freeze it and it would be an awesome adult dessert.  Or for an extra special treat, throw some of the finished granita and a little rum in your blender and serve up some Frozen Mojitos!

Strawberry Mojito Granita
1 pint fresh strawberries
24-36 fresh mint leaves (depends on how potent you mint is)
2 tsp granulated sugar
Zest and juice from 2 limes
1/2 cup boiling water

Rinse your mint and pat dry. Put the mint leaves in a glass or bowl (I used an 8 oz mason jar) and pour the 2 tsp of sugar on top. Using the back of a spoon, a muddler if you have one, or in my case, a honey drizzler, and mash up the sugar and mint leaves until you get a paste. Add in the lime zest and then pour the hot water on top. I used my Kurig and used the 8 oz setting. Let the mint steep in the hot water for 15 minutes.

While that steeps, rinse and cut the tops off your strawberries and throw in a blender. Add in the lime juice. Pour the mint and water mixture into the blender and puree. Once the mixture is smooth pour in your baking dish. I use a 13x9 glass pan. The thinner layer you use the faster it freezes. Place in the freezer.

After 30 minutes take your fork and scrape to break up the ice crystals. Place back in the freezer and repeat every 30 minutes for 2 hours. It should be about the constancy of a slushy when done. If it freezes too much, you can put it in you blender and pulse to break up the crystals.