Mango-Lime Granita

Cut the mango flesh away from the pit and chop coarsely into 1-inch pieces; you should have 2 to 2-1/2 cups packed fruit. In a food pro­cessor, combine the mango and lime zest. Process until completely smooth, 1 to 2 min., stopping to scrape down the sides with arubber spatula as needed. Transfer the purée to a medium bowl and add the water, sugar, and lime juice. Stir with a large spoon or whisk until the sugar has thoroughly dissolved.

Pour the purée into a 9-inch-square shallow baking pan. This pan size works best ­because it provides a large surface area, a key point in speeding up the freezing process. To further hasten freezing, use a metal pan (metal conducts cold well).

Put the pan in the freezer and stir every 30 minutes, being sure to scrape the ice crystals off the sides and into the ­middle of the pan, until the mixture is too frozen to stir, about 3 hours, depending on how cold your freezer is (some granitas can freeze in as ­little as 1 hour). Use a large dinner fork to stir and scrape; the tines are perfect for breaking up ice crystals.

Cover the pan with plastic and freeze over­night. When ready to serve the granita, place a fork at the top of the dish and pull it toward you in rows, moving from left to right and rotating the pan as well. Scape up the shaved ice and fill your chilled glasses or bowls.