Clementine Granita

Although a frozen dessert might not be your first thought for deep winter, this granita is a refreshingly light and delightful finish to a rich winter meal. And it’s a snap to make.

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped clementine zest (from 2 to 3 medium clementines)
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups fresh clementine juice, with pulp (from 18 to 20 medium clementines or about 4 lb.)

Tip:

If you have an ice cream freezer, this recipe works equally well as a sorbet.

In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, zest, a pinch of salt, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly as you juice the clementines.

Stir the juice and syrup together, pour into a small metal pan, such as a loaf pan, cover with plastic, and freeze for 2 hours. Stir the mixture with a spoon, breaking up the portions that have become solid, and return to the freezer. Stir every 30 minutes until the mixture is evenly icy and granular, about 2 hours more.

Cover and return to the freezer until ready to serve. To serve, scrape with a spoon to loosen the mixture, and spoon into small bowls or glasses.

Winter Fruit Salad

If you don't have sparkling wine on hand, a crisp Chardonnay (not an oaky one) works well, too.

• 2 navel oranges
• 1 blood orange
• 1 red grapefruit
• 2 tangerines
• 1 small pineapple, or 1/2 large pineapple
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sparkling wine
• 1 Tbs. rum
• 1 banana
• 1 apple, such as Braeburn, Fuji, or Gravenstein
• 1 ripe pear

Prepare the navel oranges, blood orange, grapefruit, and tangerines following the method in the photos. Put all the citrus sections in a bowl; squeeze in the juices from the leftover membranes. Cover and chill.

Slice the ends of the citrus to give you a stable base. Set the fruit on one end.

Slice off the peel, following the fruit's contours. Be sure to remove the white pith.

Slice along the membranes to free the sections; try to keep the sections intact.

Slice the top and bottom from the pineapple and rest the fruit on one of its flat cut surfaces. Cut off the pineapple skin, using the tip of a vegetable peeler to remove the eyes. Quarter it lengthwise, slice the core from each quarter, and cut each quarter into 1/2-inch pieces. Cover and chill.

A half hour before serving, combine the brown sugar, sparkling wine, and rum in a large bowl. Add the citrus and pineapple. Peel and slice the banana into 1/2-inch pieces; add it to the salad. Prepare the apple and the pear as follows: peel, quarter, core, and slice each quarter into four pieces, and add to the salad. Toss gently to combine thoroughly. Let sit covered at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Serve in small bowls with cookies on the side.

Clementine Crêpes Suzette

This is an update on the classic French dessert, which used to be a favorite in restaurants, prepared tableside by a uniformed maître d’. This version is fresher, with clementine juice rather than the traditional orange juice. The original recipe requires flambéing to caramelize the sugar, but here, a caramel-based sauce lends that bittersweet note of burnt sugar without the pyrotechnics.

• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup mild honey, such as clover
• 1 cup fresh clementine or tangerine juice
• 1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tsp. Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
• 8 8-inch crêpes, warmed if made ahead

Heat the sugar and 2 Tbs. water in a 10-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil. Once it boils, let it cook without stirring until it becomes very pale amber, about 4€ minutes. Stir in the honey until blended and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is deep amber, 1 €to 2€ minutes more (it will bubble vigorously; adjust the heat as necessary so it doesn’t boil over).

Remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the clementine juice (be careful; it will splatter). Put the skillet back on the heat and simmer the caramel, stirring to dissolve any hard bits, until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, 3€ to 4 €minutes. Stir in the butter until combined. Keep warm over very low heat.

Beat the heavy cream in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until it forms soft peaks, 2 €to 3 €minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and Grand Marnier and continue to beat until you have billowy, medium-firm peaks, about 1€ minute more.

Fold each of the crêpes in half, then in half again to make triangles. Arrange them in the skillet and let them heat through and soak up some of the caramel sauce. Carefully flip the crêpes and let them heat for another minute or so. Transfer to dessert plates, garnish with a dollop of the whipped cream, and serve.