Pastry chef Joanne Chang, proprietor of beloved Boston bakery and cafĂ© Flour and author of the forthcoming cookbook Flour, Too, gives us a tangy-sweet granita that you can make up to 2 weeks ahead—store it in the freezer until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 6 cups fresh orange juice
  • ¾ cup apple juice
  • 1 vanilla bean, or 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
  • 2 navel oranges, peel and pith removed, fruit cut into segments
  • 1 grapefruit, preferably Ruby Red, peel, pith, and seeds removed, fruit cut into segments
  • 8 mint leaves, very thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions

Active time: 50 minutes
Total time: 9 hours, including chilling

In a medium pot, bring orange juice to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Stir in apple juice and set aside to let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a freezer-proof, airtight container and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Split vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds using the dull side of a paring or table knife. (If using vanilla extract, add it later, along with the fruit.) Transfer seeds to a small pot, whisk in 1 cup water and the honey, and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and add cranberries and pears, submerging them in the poaching liquid. Cover and set aside for 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until cold, about 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, set granita aside at room temperature until scraping a spoon across the surface produces crystalline ice shavings, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir oranges and grapefruit into poached fruit. Transfer ice shavings to bowls, and use a slotted spoon to arrange some fruit on top of each serving. (Save poaching liquid for another use, if you'd like.) Garnish with mint and serve immediately.

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