Honeybells

Every year I order these wonderful citrus fruits from Florida (they aren't technically oranges). They make a fantastic marmalade and the sweetest juice. This year I added to my repertoire and made a very tasty granita with Honeybell juice and ginger syrup and a soft tapenade with green olives, Honeybell juice (although any sweet orange juice will do) and a tiny amount of sugar. It is surprising: tart and sweet, refreshing and complex. I am thinking about ways to use it besides a condiment on a cheese platter, and I'll address that in my next post, but for the time being, here is the recipe.

Green olive and Honeybell Tapenade

Green Olive and Honeybell Tapenade

Makes 1 cup

1 cup green olives, pitted (I used Cerignola)

½ cup Honeybell orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to blend. I left it a bit grainy.

You can grind the tapenade as soft or grainy as you like.

Spoon the tapenade into a sterilized ½ pint jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. (To sterilize the jar, boil the jar, band, and used lid–you don't need a new lid if you are not processing–in water for 10 minutes at sea level, adding 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level.)

Honeybell Ginger Granita

Honeybell Ginger Granita

Makes about 2 cups

I like to serve this granita in frozen Honeybell shells

1 cup Honeybell orange juice

¼ cup ginger syrup (see this post for the recipe)

Combine the juice and syrup in a small metal baking pan, and put into freezer. (If you use a narrow, deep pan the granita will take longer to freeze than a shallow, wide pan.)

After about an hour, run the tines of a fork through the slush to loosen it up and return to the freezer. After another hour or so do it again. Usually two times is enough for the crystals to become very flaky and dry.

Transfer the granita to a freezer jar or food grade plastic container and keep in the freezer, for months!

To serve, spoon the granita into glasses or frozen orange shells.