Take It for <i> Granita</i>

Upscale restaurants often serve granita between courses. But this Italian ice is also the simplest frozen dessert--and the lowest in fat--that you can make at home. Anyone with a blender and a freezer can make one in three hours or less.

You just mix water or juice with sweetener and flavorings and freeze the mixture in a shallow pan. As the granita hardens, you scrape the pan’s sides from time to time and stir the slush with a fork to break up the ice crystals. This gives granita its characteristic grainy texture.

The intense fruits of summer--honeydew melon, blueberries, nectarines--all lend themselves beautifully to granitas . Sparkling wine, cooled coffee, yogurt or spices such as cinnamon can be added. A splash of lemon or lime juice enhances the fruit.

Traditional granitas require on-and-off attention for the entire freezing time--the stirring and scraping of the pan as the granita freezes--but food writer Jack Bishop suggests a great shortcut in Cook’s Magazine. Freeze the granita mixture in an ice-cube tray. When it’s hard, turn the cubes into granita by pulsing them briefly in the food processor. But be careful not to over-puree; you might end up with an icy fruit soup instead.

If I am at home while the granita is freezing, I find the pan method safer. It yields a more reliable product with a pleasantly even texture--no large lumps of ice or soupy pockets.

Some cooks simmer the fruit briefly to soften it and release its flavor--a must for granitas made with winter fruits such as pears and apples. But most summer fruits are already soft enough and cooking just dulls them.

You’ll need to adjust the amount of sweetener, vanilla and spices in the recipes that follow according to the flavor of your fruit: Always taste before you sweeten. Choose berries that are bright and very fragrant, peaches and nectarines that are soft and dripping with juice, melon that smells heavenly, and your granitas will be delicious every time. Though the best result comes from the highest quality fruit at peak flavor, fear not--spices and sugar can improve less-than-perfect fruit.

Granitas will keep their quality for up to one week in the freezer. Before serving, just let the pan of granita remain on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes, then use a sharp serving spoon to scrape large curls of the ice into dessert bowls.

THREE-BERRY GRANITA

Use one or a variety of fresh or frozen berries for this granita; a sprig of fresh mint enhances the deep color of the ice.

2 cups blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blackberries

3/4 cup sugar, honey or other sweetener, or to taste

1 tablespoon lime juice

Sprigs fresh mint

Puree blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in food processor or blender until very smooth. Strain puree through fine sieve and discard seeds and pulp. Stir in sweetener and lime juice. Freeze in shallow pan, stirring every 30 minutes, until firm, about 3 hours. Spoon into dessert bowls and serve immediately. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

MANGO-MELON GRANITA

This simple fruit granita can be made with either mango or melon alone, but I like the unusual combination and the pale orange color that the two create together.

1 cup peeled and cubed mango

3 cups cubed cantaloupe

3/4 cup water

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar, honey or other sweetener

1 tablespoon lime juice

Puree mango, cantaloupe and water in food processor or blender until very smooth. Strain puree through fine sieve and discard pulp. Stir in sugar and lime juice. Freeze in shallow pan, stirring every 30 minutes, until firm, about 3 hours. Spoon into dessert bowls and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.