Blood orange granita with crème chantilly and candied lime
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
For the granita:
• 75g caster sugar
• 75ml water
• juice of 12 blood oranges (about 1 litre of juice)
• 200ml bubbly
For the candied lime:
• 2 unwaxed limes
• 50g caster sugar
• 125ml water
For the crème chantilly:
• 200ml double cream
• 25g icing sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, split in half, seeds scraped out with a knife
Method
For the Granita:
1. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then pour into a large bowl and leave to cool completely.
2. Add the orange juice and bubbly to the syrup. Stir well, then pour the mixture into a large, shallow, freezer-proof container.
3. Seal and freeze for an hour, then remove and stir the ice crystals around the edge of the container with a fork. Repeat the freezing and stirring until the entire mixture consists of ice crystals. Freeze until ready to serve.
For the Candied Lime:
1. Thinly slice off the zest of the limes without taking in any white pith. If you do get some white pith on the zests, slice it off with a small sharp knife.
2. Stacking a few at a time, thinly slice the zest into thin matchstick strips. Put these into a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then immediately drain the zest and return to the pan.
3. Add the sugar and water and bring to a simmer, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Simmer over a medium heat for 1–1¼ hours until the zest is soft.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely. Drain the lime pieces and spread out on a piece of kitchen paper to dry.
For the Crème Chantilly:
1. Combine the cream, icing sugar and vanilla seeds into a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks then set aside.
2. To serve, spoon the Crème Chantilly into chilled bowls and top with the Granita. Decorate with the candied lime and serve immediately.
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