Granita for the Señorita

While my first outdoor lemon trees unfortunately didn't survive the winter, the fig tree is now in its third year doing perfectly well in the garden. It comes from a cutting of a fig tree that has been growing prolifically in the backyard of Munich's Café Pini for many years. The variety has been forgotten, but it's quite possible it's the fairly hardy "Bavarian Fig Violetta." Italian fig trees, pampered by the Mediterranean sun, have never lasted very long in my garden.

Fig leaves are not only suitable for covering the body parts of marble statues, they also taste very good, for example as oil . I tried the oil in the fall; it was aromatic and a beautiful dark green. It may well be even fresher and more aromatic now in the spring. Unfortunately, I can't test it right now because I don't want to rob my little tree of too many leaves. And I've really been wanting to try a fig leaf syrup for cocktails. Or as a granita. It's classic with Italian brioche or Bavarian braided bread and sweet whipped cream - fantastic! I know it's not easy to find fresh fig leaves here - but the Whitsun holidays are just around the corner: if you're heading towards the Mediterranean, you can probably pick a few leaves somewhere, boil them down, and take the finished syrup home with you. If there is anything left over: A dash of fig leaf syrup – perhaps with a few drops of fig vinegar in Cava, Prosecco or Aqua frizzante can also sweeten your holiday a lot.

Roughly tear the fig leaves. Squeeze one lemon and thinly slice the other. Place the lemon slices and juice in a preserving jar with the fig leaves. Boil the sugar and 300 ml of water until the syrup becomes clear. Remove from the heat, pour over the leaves after one minute, press gently with a wooden spoon, and let it steep at room temperature for about a day. Strain the syrup through a cheesecloth or fine sieve, bottle, and refrigerate.

1. Chill the fig leaf syrup and Prosecco in the freezer, but do not freeze. Then mix in a shallow container and freeze.

2. Wash and halve the strawberries. Whip the cream until stiff and season with vanilla sugar. Scrape granite flakes from the ice with a spoon and divide them into chilled glasses along with the strawberries and a dollop of cream. Serve immediately with brioche or a braided bread.

Tip: Be careful when picking the leaves – the white, milky sap from the stems is sticky and can irritate some people's skin. This isn't serious, but it doesn't hurt to wash your hands.

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