Dessert

Choc-mandarin pudding with mandarin granita

The combination of citrus and dark chocolate is always a winner. In place of the usual orange, why not try mandarin?
Choc-mandarin pudding with mandarin granitaBen Dearnley
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A super-simple mandarin granita adds a welcome burst of freshness to this comforting pudding.

Ingredients

Mandarin granita

Method

1.For mandarin granita, stir sugar and 200ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and cook for a minute to reduce slightly. Cool to room temperature. Combine whole mandarins, mandarin juice and lemon juice in a blender and process to a purée, then add sugar syrup to taste (you may not need all the syrup, depending on the sweetness of your mandarins). Strain through a fine sieve into a metal container and freeze, scraping occasionally with a fork once ice crystals begin to form, until frozen (about 3-4 hours). Cover and keep in the freezer until required (fluff up ice crystals with a fork before serving). Granita will keep for up to 2 weeks.
2.Preheat oven to 180C. Butter 4 shallow 300ml ovenproof bowls or ramekins and place on a baking tray. Mix flour, half the cocoa, 110gm brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl to combine. Whisk together milk, butter, egg, and mandarin rind and juice in a separate bowl, then whisk into dry ingredients. Fold in the melted chocolate, divide among bowls and smooth tops.
3.Whisk Grand Marnier and remaining cocoa and brown sugar in a jug with 250ml boiling water, then pour mixture over the back of a spoon onto the pudding batter. Bake until centres spring back when gently pressed (20-25 minutes). Dust with the extra cocoa, top with crème fraîche and mandarin segments and serve hot with mandarin granita.

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