Cherry Tea Granita

Today was hot. Sweaty hot. Running errands, working in the garden, and schlepping boxes out of my basement didn't help matters. Drained of my energy but still craving a treat, I decided to make a quick granita. Sounds fancy, but it's super easy to create. If you can boil water and stir, you can make granitas. Start by boiling 1 C of water and stirring in 1/2 C of granulated sugar. Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat. Let the sugar solution come to room temperature, mix in 3 C of juice, or coffee, or any sweet nectar you desire. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and place in the freezer. Every 15 - 20 minutes, agitate the mixture with a fork, scraping the frozen bits towards the center. After about an hour, you will have a soft, slushy delight. Today, I chose sweet tea (brewed with spearmint and lemon balm) and cherry puree. I used 1 C of the cherry puree and 2 C of the sweet tea. The flavor was deliciously sweet with a minty undertone. So light and refreshing, it was the perfect end to a hard worked day.