Street vendors throughout Mexico's beach towns sell cold fresh fruit served in a plastic bag with bits of ice in it to keep the fruit chilled. This dessert is as take on that, as well as a refreshing end to any meal. Feel free to experiment by pouring a bit of tequila over the ice to create an instant margarita.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　

Lime

3/4 cup sugar

　　2 1/4 cups water

　　1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)

　　Finely grated zest of 3 limes

　　

Watermelon

1/4 cup sugar

　　2 cups water

　　4 cups chopped seedless watermelon (about 3 pounds whole fruit), rind removed

　　Juice of 1 lime

　　

Pineapple

1/2 cup sugar

　　2 cups water

　　1 pineapple, peeled, cored, chopped (about 3 cups)

　　

LIME

Step 1

Prepare a Simple Syrup

　　Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

　　

Step 2

Add the Lime Juice and Freeze

　　Pour the simple syrup and lime juice in a 9 by 11-inch nonreactive baking pan and stir in the lime zest. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

　　

Step 3

After 1 hour, stir the mixture well, using a fork. Return to the freezer for another hour, then stir again. Allow the mixture to freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight (it is not necessary to continue stirring after you have done it twice).

　　

Step 4

Serve

　　Remove the pan from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Using a fork, scrape the fruit ice and serve it in a small bowl.

　　

WATERMELON

Step 5

Prepare a Simple Syrup

　　Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

　　

Step 6

Puree the Watermelon and Freeze

　　Puree the watermelon chunks (it is fine if small seeds are still attached) in a blender until smooth. Pour the simple syrup, lime juice, and watermelon puree in a 9 by 11-inch nonreactive baking pan and stir well. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

　　

Step 7

After 1 hour, stir the mixture well, using a fork. Return to the freezer for another hour, then stir again. This time allow the mixture to freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight (it is not necessary to continue stirring after you have done it twice).

　　

Step 8

Serve

　　Remove the pan from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Using a fork, scrape the fruit ice and serve it in a small bowl.

　　

PINEAPPLE

Step 9

Prepare a Simple Syrup

　　Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

　　

Step 10

Puree the Pineapple and Freeze

　　Puree the pineapple chunks in a blender until smooth. Pour the simple syrup and pineapple puree in a 9 by 11-inch nonreactive baking pan and stir well. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

　　

Step 11

After 1 hour, stir the mixture well using a fork. Return to the freezer for another hour, then stir again. This time allow the mixture to freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight (it is not necessary to continue stirring after you have done it twice).

　　

Step 12

Serve

　　Remove the pan from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Using a fork, scrape the fruit ice and serve it in a small bowl.

　　COOKING NOTES

　　TECHNIQUES

　　Making Simple Syrup

　　Simple syrup is the name given to sugar dissolved in water. It is not enough to just stir some sugar in water; it has to be lightly heated so that the sugar actually dissolves. This is done to avoid a gritty texture.

　　ADVANCE PREPARATION

　　This is definitely a recipe that must be prepared ahead of time because the ices need several hours to freeze properly. After the ices have been frozen, they can be scraped, placed in airtight containers, and frozen until needed—the texture will be fine. The frozen ices can be kept in the freezer for a few weeks.

　　If you are keeping your ices frozen, prevent the ice from absorbing flavors from the freezer by completely wrapping the storage containers with plastic wrap. This will ensure an airtight environment.

　　Reprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, © April 2009 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.