Melon Frappe

Melon frappé (layered frozen melon) teaches the discipline of leaving cold fruit alone. The one true thing is this: never stir a granité as it freezes, because it turns dense and smooth instead of setting into a light, granulated mass. One melon becomes that ice, the other stays juicy under a little sugar and maraschino, and the contrast is the dish.

The classical cold pantry assumed a tammy for sieving the fruit, ample freezing space, iced plates, and a spare pair of hands to carve an ornamental block of ice. At home, the finished Granités (No. 2930) comes from its separate preparation, a fine-mesh sieve replaces the tammy, and an ordinary bowl of crushed ice holds the melon securely. The carved block was service scaffolding, so it goes. The chilled shell, cold plates, maceration, and alternating layers are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.

Layer only at the last moment, while the melon pieces are cold and glossy and the granité remains loose. If the ice is too hard, wait a few minutes and flake it gently rather than beating it. Ça se rattrape. The step that decides everything is still the same one: freeze the granité untouched, then handle it as little as possible.