Blood oranges are in season now and this is one way you can make the most of them. I find that grilling tends to intensify the flavour and sugars as well as making these a bit juicier. You need to be careful not to grill too long otherwise they dry out. A little bit of char adds an edge to the flavour, so you have a slight citrussy, smoky bitter note.

8 blood oranges halved
250g sugar
100ml water

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 200c, add a handful of pecan and hickory chips to the coals, let the white smoke die down before starting to cook
Start to cook the oranges flesh side down on the griddle, until they are lightly charred for about 10 minutes
Place to one side and allow to cool
In a pan heat up the sugar and water and boil until it reaches 108c on a sugar thermometer, place to one side to cool
Juice the oranges, you need about 400ml juice
Add 100ml of the sugar syrup and stir until well combined
Allow to sit in the fridge for at least four hours to cool completely

Ice cream maker method
Set your ice cream maker for granita setting and churn until ready
Place in freezer for an hour or so before serving

Using a food processor
Pour the granita mix into an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours
Remove from the freezer and scoop out into a food processor and whizz until the mix has loosened up slightly
This helps to aerate the mix
Serve immediately

Making by hand
For those of you making this without an ice cream maker then pour the mixture into a baking tray and place in the freezer
To get the granita effect you need to take the mix out every hour and scrape it with a fork to get a grainy effect before putting it back in the fridge to refreeze
Continue to do this until all the mix has been flaked up