Blood Orange & Tarragon Granita Recipe
This refreshing Blood Orange & Tarragon Granita captures the vibrant flavors of blood oranges complemented by the subtle herbal notes of fresh tarragon. Perfect as a light dessert or palate cleanser, this icy treat is made by slowly freezing and scraping the mixture to create delicate, fluffy ice crystals, served beautifully in natural orange peel cups.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezing
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Granita Ingredients
- 850 g Blood Oranges (approximately 6 blood oranges)
- 100 g Sugar
- 3 sprigs Fresh Tarragon
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Scrub the blood oranges thoroughly to remove any dirt or residues. Wash and pat dry the fresh tarragon sprigs.
- Zest and Combine Sugar: In a freezer-safe tray, add the sugar. Use a microplane to zest the blood oranges directly over the sugar, ensuring the zest falls into the sugar to release aromatic oils.
- Extract Orange Juice: Cut the blood oranges in half. Over a bowl, carefully separate the orange flesh from the peel, keeping the peel intact for serving later. Pass the orange flesh through a sieve to extract about 400 ml of juice, removing seeds and pulp.
- Mix Juice with Sugar and Zest: Pour the extracted orange juice into the sugar and zest mixture in the tray. Stir vigorously until the sugar completely dissolves into the juice.
- Add Tarragon: Remove tarragon leaves from the stems and add them to the juice and sugar mixture for infusion.
- Freeze and Scrape – First Cycle: Place the tray in the freezer for 90 minutes. After this, scrape the partially frozen top layer with a fork to form ice crystals, then return to the freezer.
- Freeze and Scrape – Second Cycle: After another 90 minutes, scrape the top layer again to break up ice clumps, then return to freeze.
- Freeze and Scrape – Third Cycle: Repeat the scraping after a third 90-minute freeze to achieve the desired granita texture.
- Final Freeze: After the last scraping, freeze the granita for an additional 1 hour to set fully.
- Serve: Spoon the fluffy granita into the reserved blood orange peels and serve immediately to enjoy its icy freshness and vibrant flavors.
Notes
- Using fresh tarragon sprigs is essential for the authentic aromatic flavor; dried tarragon may alter the taste.
- Scraping the granita multiple times creates the characteristic flaky texture by breaking large ice crystals into smaller ones.
- The hollowed blood orange peel cups make an attractive, eco-friendly serving option and enhance presentation.
- If you prefer a sweeter granita, adjust the sugar quantity slightly, but be mindful that too much sweetness can mask the natural orange flavor.
- Ensure the juice mixture is well stirred to fully dissolve the sugar before freezing to avoid gritty texture.
