ingredients
1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
½ cup sugar
500 ml water
finely grated zest of 2 limes
juice of 2 limes
sliced honeydew melon for serving
Method
Blanch the basil in a saucepan of boiling water for 20 seconds. Drain and refresh in iced water then drain again. Place in a blender with 2 tablespoons of water and purée until smooth.
Combine the sugar, water and the lime zest in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Take off the heat and add the lime juice.
Put the blanched basil in a food processor with 1⁄2 a cup of the syrup. Process until smooth. Stir the basil purée into the remaining sugar syrup and tip into a shallow freezer-proof tray. Cool then freeze until just starting to set around the edges.
Stir the mixture with a fork, breaking up any large chunks, dragging the frozen ice from the sides into the centre. Repeat twice more periodically, until no large pieces of ice remain.
To serve: Place slices of honeydew melon in serving bowls and top with a scoop of granita.
