Blood Orange Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream

• Recipe by Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

When he’s grilling outside in winter, Lachlan likes to make his granitas outside too. He’ll place a bowl of fresh, bright-red blood orange juice in the snow near the grill; as it freezes, he’ll occasionally scrape it with a fork to form crystals, and then serve the granita for dessert.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup water
2. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3. 4 cups chilled fresh blood orange juice or fresh orange juice, strained
4. 1 pint vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, stir the sugar syrup into the blood orange juice. Freeze for about 1 hour, or until ice crystals form around the edge. Using a fork, stir the crystals into the center and freeze for about 30 minutes, until a thicker rim of crystals forms around the edges. Stir again and freeze for about 1 hour longer, stirring every 15 minutes or so until all the juice is frozen.
3. Scoop the granita into 8 bowls, top with vanilla ice cream and serve immediately.

Make Ahead

The granita can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 days; rescrape before serving.