Watermelon Mint Granita - Cooking with My Daughter
Encouraging my children to cook has been a priority since they were toddlers. It started out with fun tasks like baking and decorating holiday cookies and evolved into more complicated missions such as preparing dinner. I truly believe that involving them in the kitchen has broadened their palates and motivated them to experiment with foods they would have otherwise snubbed.
Then they discovered Food Network - exciting reality cooking shows that featured complex dishes that made their mouths water and demand exotic fare in their own home! Although, I admired their desire for gourmet food, I became exhausted with pleasing their upscale tastes and demands for more spectacular dishes than just chicken or pasta. They craved Bobby Flay style grilled dishes with unique homemade salsas. Or passion fruit infused cupcakes with a cardamom cream cheese frosting from Cupcake Wars. I do love to cook and create, but there are days when just a hamburger will have to do.
When I started limiting the number of Food Network style meals I would make, my daughter took matters into her own hands. She started searching Ina Garten's recipes on Saturday mornings and having Dad procure the ingredients she needed to make her own exciting dishes. Seeing her search the Food Network website has become fairly commonplace. I have to admit she has a knack for it.
During summer vacation, with an abundance of time and fresh mint in her garden, she was on the hunt for any recipe that included this herb. The Watermelon Mint Granita she prepared was amazing. The refreshing crunchy ice mixture almost tasted like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. A bit of lime provided the hint of sour and watermelon with a touch of sugar, provided the perfect sweetness. Finished off with a hint of mint it was the perfect light dessert or palate cleanser.
As long as the kitchen's cleaned up after, I truly enjoy eating my children's food and have high hopes that they will keep refining their skills until I am completely spoiled by having others prepare meals for me.
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Watermelon and Mint Granita
9 cups (about 2 1/2 pounds) seeded, cubed watermelon
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup mint, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup sugar
Working in 2 batches, puree watermelon in a food processor. Strain puree through a sieve and strain out solids, forcing liquid out with a wooden spoon. Discard solids. Combine the watermelon puree, lime juice, mint and sugar in a 9 by 13-inch metal pan. Place mixture in the freezer, scraping thoroughly with a fork every 20 to 30 minutes for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the granita resembles coarse crystals. Scrape 1 last time and spoon intoparfait glasses or bowls. Top with a mint sprig.
Comment
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Comment by Virtually Homemade on September 19, 2011 at 10:00pm -
I agree Michelle, you never want a battle at the table - it gives food a negative hue. I also gave my kids the option to create a meal if they didn't like ours, cereal just as an example. That's why you give them an option, so there's no fighting. My point was that I included them in our adult meals. I never cooked for my husband and myself and then prepared chicken nuggets for my kids. That way they slowly developed more sophisticated palates and it worked really well for our family. My kids refuse to eat chicken nuggets in any way shape or form and I wear that as a badge of honor (don't even think of handing them a kids menu!). I'm so glad that I was able to infuse my passion for food in them so successfully.
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Comment by Virtually Homemade on September 19, 2011 at 5:22pm
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thanks for your comment Catherine! I remember my son decorating cookies with me when he was 3 or 4. His one year old sister sat in her high chair and watched without much complaint. My son really started cooking in 4th grade and my daughter even earlier. Just keep giving them flavorful, healthy options. I never offered my children separate meals from what my husband and I ate. if they didn't want it they had to fix themselves some cereal. That usually didn't happen! Good luck!
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Comment by Catherine Garcia on September 19, 2011 at 4:33pm -
Your post gave me hope with my picky little eaters! Before I had children I used to cook a different recipe every night from my dozens of cookbooks and my Saturday mornings were spent watching Food Network. Once my son started eating table food that all but ended. He’s a picky eater and unfortunately we probably didn’t help the matter. Being a new mom I didn’t really know what I was doing so I kept all the food very bland and now at 3 ½ he prefers bland food all the time. My daughter is much different but that is because I learned from my mistakes with my son. I hope they grow up to love cooking as much as I did. At what age did you children start help preparing meals? Hopefully that is something that will expand their palates!
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