Pineapple-Bergamot Granita #SpringOnThePlate #MelissasProduce #Sponsored

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Melissa's Produce.

I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development,

but all opinions are honest and they are my own. This page may contain affiliate links.

Last week I received a box from Melissa's Produce* to create some Spring-y, sunny dishes and share as #SpringOnThePlate recipes. A couple of the items I received were their baby pineapples and their bergamot oranges.

Ever since he was a toddler, the first thing he does when he's excited about food is to smell it! R pulled these baby pineapples from my box from Melissa's Produce and put them straight to his nose. Then he didn't want me to cook with them because they smelled so good; he wanted to keep them at his seat and enjoy them till they rotted. Ummm...no. You'll like what I'm making with them. Hand them over!

Three ingredients and three hours. That's all it takes for this light, fresh dessert to be on your table. It's a great palate cleanser between brunch courses. Or you can top it with your favorite alcohol for a seasonal cocktail. Jake and I enjoyed this with some organic vodka and a splash of sparkling water!

Granita is a frozen dessert that I remember mostly from Sicily. It may have been available throughout Italy, but I remember sitting in piazze all over Palermo, eating granita, and talking about our next day's adventure. I don't remember that gloriously cool rush of icy sugar from when I lived in Rome. My favorite part: It's amazingly simple and flexible. 

Granitas are great because they have so few ingredients and even fewer rules! Use any watery fruit. Use any citrus. I've made Watermelon-Tequila Granita, Pluot-Port Granita, and even a Cuba Libra Granita. Okay, there's not real fruit in that last one, but you really can't go wrong with rum and coke!

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 C pineapple**
• 1/4 C organic granulated sugar
• 3 t o 4 T freshly squeezed bergamot juice (you can substitute lemon if you don't have any bergamot)
• Also needed: blender

**I usually use 1 T citrus to 1 C fruit, but adjust as you see fit.

Procedure

Trim off pineapple tops and remove skin and eyes. 

Place all of the ingredient in a blender or food processor. 

Pulse until smooth. Pour mixture into a rimmed pan; I usually use a glass pyrex though I've heard that metal pans work faster.

Using the tines of a fork, stir the mixture every 30 minutes, scraping edges and breaking up any ice chunks as the mixture freezes, until the granita is slushy and frozen, approximately 3 hours.

To serve, spoon into individual dishes and serve immediately.

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*Disclosure: I received product for free from the sponsor for recipe development, however, I have received no additional compensation for my post. My opinion is 100% my own and 100% accurate.