Peach Lassi Granita

Call me lazy but given a choice between eating fresh summer fruits to baking with them, I'm leaping on fresh fruits. From apricots, peaches, cherries, mangoes, watermelon and sometimes the exotic rambutan, every meal is followed by a bowlful of summer fruits.

Making summer drinks is a different story. First thing we want to reach out to drink after coming back from work is a fresh fruity lassi. The sweetness of the fruits paired with tangy yogurt is the most refreshing and satisfying thing to have. The lassi is accented by the subtle notes of cardamom, the alluring aroma of which awakens the senses and helps us fight the lethargy of a long day.

This summer we are hooked on lassi granitas. Early morning, whilst still half asleep, the fruit and yogurt goes in the blender and then tucked in the freezer. M looks rather annoyed at me, for creating all that noise so early in the morning. Did you know morning hug can make the world a better place? I just wanted to let you know!

Before leaving the house, I give the mixture a quick second stir. And that's it. We are back home when the sun is ready to set to some granita and M gives me a loving puppy look. Now, it's my turn. I beat him up for the annoyed face he made in the morning. Everything needs to be balanced out, even meanness!

Since Indian mangoes are getting off the Kuwait's market as monsoon hits India, peach lassi is our favorite these days, but you can surely experiment with other fruits like apricot. 





I'm also sending this as my entry for Monthly Mingle where the theme is stone fruit. Monthly Mingle is brainchild of the fabulous Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey  and the July edition is hosted by my dear friend Sukaina of Sips and Spoonfuls. Don't forget to checkout Sukaina's blog, which is filled with scrumptious treats for both your eyes and buds!

Peach Lassi Granita

Serves 3-4

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients 

3 peaches, ripe, peeled, seed removed

1 cup yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup cold water

Pinch of cardamom powder

Simple syrup as required**

Note

* Alternatively, you can  use buttermilk instead of yogurt. Just reduce the water to half.

** I have made this with honey as sweetener and even though I used a neutral tasting honey, you can quite taste the honey. Which is not to say its not delicious. Its a great alternative if you avoiding sugar.

Method

Put all the ingredients in a blender to form a smooth mixture.

Pour into a baking dish and freeze uncovered for an hour.

Stir the mixture with a fork and put it back in freezer. 

After two hours lightly scrap the top layer (which will be frozen) using a fork. Ideally you should repeat this scraping business every few hours of freezing till all of it scraped.

I just cover the dish after this and let it freeze for 5-8 hours and return to the scraping business when I'm back.

Once all of it has been scraped, it ready to serve. 

The best thing about granita is that it you can freeze it once its all scraped and it will remain as it is in freezer. You don't have to serve it immediately so you can easily make it in advance.