Watermelon Granita

Hey folks! Sorry for not writing for so long, but I assure you that as busy as things have been lately I'm just collecting stories for a backlog of posts. But until I get to them, I have to move first, here's watermelon granita. Enjoy!

Franny and I went to the market this weekend and bought a quarter of a watermelon. It's been really hot in the south of Hungary, and dry, though I was surprised to see watermelon in June. There weren't just a couple either, there were more than 5 stands dedicated to watermelons or a combination of watermelon and other melons. So we dove in and bought a quarter of one to take home. It was good too, but not amazing, so we made other plans for it. I cut chunks of it into thin slices and Franny, using a strainer and a spoon, pressed all of the juice out of the fruit. We then strained it one last time, added a pinch of salt and sugar and poured all of the collected juice into a 9x13x2 baking pan. Placing the baking dish in the freezer I checked up on it every so often and scraped the ice as it formed to create large flat watermelon crystals of goodness. Serving suggestion above.

Gooseberry Fool

This will most likely be the last post for a week or so depending on access to internet. I am in the process of moving to Kecskemét. I have already tried to get an internet connection order in the works, but nothing is simple in Hungary. Until I have a good connection or until I find a wireless connection blogging will be difficult.

Anyway, gooseberry season has come and gone in Szeged and I caught some right at the beginning. They are beautiful berries that are plump, firm, and tart.

I trimmed and cleaned the berries.

Then I added some sugar to them to cook down.

Once they were cooked I strained them into a purée.

A close-up of the purée in a jar.

Using equal amounts of gooseberry purée and whipping cream make whipped cream and then fold the two together to make a gooseberry fool. This dessert, once chilled has a smooth luxurious texture and a good balance of sweet and tart. The origin is British, hence the name... just kidding. Enjoy!

The Gooseberry Fool.

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