Curiously, this granita really comes alive when a few grains of coarse salt are flecked over each serving. When I had friends over for a taste, they were surprised to see me salting their granita, but they quickly changed their minds when they tasted it. Try fleur de sel, hand-harvested salt crystals from France, or whisper-thin squares of Maldon salt, from England.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 1/4 quarts (1 1/4 liters)

　　1 pineapple, peeled and cored (4 cups, 1 liter purée)

　　1 cup (250 ml) water

　　1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

　　2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

　　Pinch of salt

　　

Step 1

Cut the pineapple into small chunks and purée them in a blender or food processor with the water, sugar, lime juice, and salt until completely smooth. If you wish, press the mixture through a mesh strainer for a more fine-textured granita. Freeze according to the instructions for freezing granita on page 145.

　　

Perfect Pairings

Step 2

Serve Pineapple Granita alongside either Toasted Coconut Ice Cream (page 96) or another tropical flavor, such as Roasted Banana Ice Cream (page 72).

　　The Perfect Scoop