Orange-Marcona Almond Salad with Pineapple Granita

• 2 cups pineapple juice, divided
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 8 small navel oranges
• 1 cup unsalted Marcona almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped herbs, such as parsley or mint

• 1 tablespoon almond oil

To make the pineapple granita, heat 1 cup of the pineapple juice and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, then remove from heat. Add the rest of the juice and cool in an ice bath. Once the mixture is cool, transfer to a baking pan or other shallow container, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze. Once solid, scrape the ice with a fork until the entire mass has been broken into small flakes. Cover again and return the granita to the freezer until needed.



To make the salad, cut off the tops and bottoms of the oranges. Stand each orange on one end and, using a paring knife, work your way around the fruit to remove all of the peel and pith, then cut the flesh away from the membrane to separate and remove the segments. Place the segments in a large bowl and toss with the almonds, herbs, and almond oil.



Serve the salad on chilled plates and scatter some granita around each salad.