Place the sugar into a medium sized bowl and add the boiling water. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Cover and place the mixture in the fridge for an hour to chill. Halve the passion fruit and scoop the pulp out into the bowl of a food processor. Process for thirty seconds, which separates the seeds from the pulp. Transfer the pulp and seeds into a strainer and strain the juice. Use the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Reserve a tablespoon of the seeds. Add enough water to the passion fruit juice to make up 250ml of liquid.
In a large container (see note below), combine the chilled sugar syrup, passion fruit juice, seeds and orange juice. Stir to combine. Place the container in the freezer until it is partially frozen, which means that the top will be frozen and the sides will be starting to set. Using a fork, break the frozen parts of the granita into chunks and move them into the centre of the container. Return to the freezer and leave the granita for 8 hours, or overnight, until it has completely set.
To serve, scrape the granita into coarse crystals using a fork and spoon into well chilled dessert glasses or bowls.
Serves: 6 -8
TIPS: - Some delicious variations to try are orange and lemon granita, mango and passionfruit granita, pineapple or watermelon.
- To make the granita you need a plastic, ceramic or non-aluminium container that has a capacity of at least 1.75 litres. The container needs to be large as the mixture will double in volume once it freezes. It will also freeze at a faster rate if in a larger container.
Note: If you make a granita with a fruit that has a high sugar content, such as grapes or berries, reduce the amount of sugar in the sugar syrup as too much sugar in the mixture will prevent the granita from freezing and forming ice crystals.
