Cara Cara Orange Jam

Ingredients:
8 cups supremed Cara Cara segments
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 box liquid pectin (3 oz., one of the little packets in the box)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used bottled)
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
zest of 2 Cara Cara oranges


Directions:
Prep jars/lids for canning. Add the orange segments into a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring and carefully to avoid splashing, break up the segments, occasionally. Boil until it begins to reduce and thicken. Stir in the pectin, Grand Marnier and lemon juice. Continue cooking at a low (rolling) boil for 5-10 minutes or until it looks jammy. Fill the jars leaving 1/4 inch headroom. Process in the hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: 5-6 8-oz jars. I ended up with 5 8-oz, 1 4-oz and a couple of spoonfuls

Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Here is a bunch of other canning books and equipment I find useful.

My thoughts:

Today was a busy citrus day at the Rappaport house. I made this jam and marmalade for the first time. I had many pounds of citrus I wanted to use up and marmalade is a lot of fiddly work. I can't imagine doing two batches of that in one day unless a. I suddenly became very, very quick at it or b. someone was paying me. So I started to think of something citrus-y I could make that would be a little less time consuming. Don't get me wrong, it takes a long time to supreme so many oranges but at least I didn't have a peel to worry about and the actual cooking of the jam was quick and easy. I honestly I have never seen a recipe for citrus jam before but I didn't see any reason why it would work or be perfectly tasty. Sort of a marmalade without the candied peel. As it turns out, it makes a lovely jam, freshly orange scented and not as sweet as jelly would have been. The segments almost caramelize and really pop. Since Cara Caras are pink inside, the jam is a pretty orangish rose color. It is yummy on bread etc but I am already thinking of ways to use it in new recipes that need a bit of citrus.

I did "cheat" and added some liquid pectin despite oranges being pretty high in pectin. Cara Caras are seedless and I didn't want to add any bitterness from the peel to the jam. I knew it would easily set up with just a bit of pectin and it did.

Cara Cara Orange Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup cara cara orange juice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
zest of 2 Cara Cara oranges


orange frosting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line 12 wells in a cupcake pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix together the oil, zest, yogurt, juice and eggs. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before icing.

My thoughts:

I love Cara Cara oranges because they are 1. navel (no pips!) 2. I've never had a bad one 3. they are sort of pink inside. The batter came out sort of a pretty baby asprin* pinky peach and with a great, strong sweet orange flavor. Regular navels or blood oranges would work well, but the Cara Caras are especially good this time of year. Normally the Cara Caras I get are huge but this year they were more normal sized and I ended up using 1 1/2 for the cupcakes and 2 for the icing, even though they were very juicy.


*I always liked the flavor of baby asprin. I sort of miss it. Darn unflavored adult medicines!

Cara Cara Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cara cara orange juice
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla
pinch salt
zest of two cara cara oranges
food coloring, if desired

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, vanilla, zest and juice to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to boil until it reaches soft ball stage (when a drop of the syrup forms a soft ball when dropped in cool water) while continuing to stir occasionally. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and salt to soft peaks. Keep the mixer running (you need a stand mixer or a friend to complete this next step) while you strain a continuous stream of the molten syrup into the egg whites. Add the food dye. Beat for about 5 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy, glossy and cool. Frost cooled cake/cupcakes.

My thoughts:

An creamsicle meets marshmallow fluff frosting.

Peppered Oranges

Ingredients:
3 Cara Cara oranges
3 navel oranges
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons tangerine or orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Directions:
Peel the oranges as if you were going to supreme them but instead of sectioning, slice them horizontally into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange in bowls. In a small bowl, whisk together the pepper, juice and golden syrup. Drizzle over the fruit.

My thoughts:

I almost hesitated to share this recipe because it so simple, but it was so good I had to share. Citrus is at its peak right now and Cara Cara and navel oranges are so juicy and flavorful they scarcely need adornment. But I couldn't help making a simple syrup to drizzle over them. Not too sweet but pretty peppery, it brings out the oranges' sweet-tartness even more. A refreshing change from the usual. Great alone or over yogurt or (I bet) ice cream.

Duck with Orange-Five Spice Sauce

for the duck:
1 5-6 lb duck
1/4 cara cara orange (1 large wedge)

dry rub:
2 tablespoons five spice powder
1 1/2 tablespoons orange peel*
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon sea salt

sauce:
1 1/2 cup cara cara orange juice
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons shoaxing
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced



Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry rub. Rub the dry rub into the skin of the duck. Place the duck on a roasting rack on a roasting pan. Stick the orange quarter into the cavity of the duck and roast for 2 hours or until cooked though. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a small saucepan (using duck fat of a bit of olive oil) until softened. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk in a bit of corn starch (dissolved in an equal amount of water) if it isn't thick enough. Ladle over sliced duck.

*Powdered/ground peel, not zest.

My thoughts:

Duck a l'Orange is the American version of a classic French dish that hit its peak during the '60s French cooking/home entertaining craze. While it still pops up on menus now and again, I thought it was time for an update. Five spice powder is one of my favorite spices, I've used it in both sweet and savory dishes and am always pleased with the savory-spicy flavor it gives anything it touches. I didn't want to leave tradition entirely behind so I used some Cara Cara oranges, their sweet but complex fruitiness was the perfect foil for the rich duck and spices. This dish scarcely takes anymore effort than roasting a chicken but is immensely rewarding, the duck is juicy and generously spiced throughout and the sauce is almost gilding the lily.

Get the most out of your duck:
Save the carcass and make duck stock.

Siphon off any fat that drips into the roasting pan every 20-30. Pour it into a heat safe container. Allow to cool then strain it using a mine mesh strainer. Store it in the fridge until ready to use.

Cara Cara Mango Shrimp

Ingredients:
2 lb peeled shrimp
2-3 mangos, cubed (try Tommy Atkins or Francis)

marinade:
1 shallot, minced
2/3 cup cara cara (or regular navel) orange juice
3 tablespoons mango juice (homemade*)
3 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons oranges
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
Prepare grill to manufacture's recommendations. Brush the grill rack with oil. Whisk together the marinade in a large bowl. Add the shrimp. Marinate the shrimp for 10 minutes. Reserve the marinade. Thread on bamboo skewers alternating with mango. Grill, flipping once and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade, until the shrimp is fully cooked.


*I just squeezed juice out of some mango scraps into a measuring cup.

My thoughts:

I am excited to finally start posting grilling recipes again! I've been grilling like crazy (even in drizzling rain) for the past few months developing new recipes to post here this summer. I have a lot of great recipes lined up. As I have done the last couple of years, I plan on posting a new grilling recipe every Friday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Last year I was so busy writing my cookbook and posting twice weekly new recipes on C&L (I developed 300 recipes between May and October last year for the book) that I dropped it down to a new grill recipe every other week. I am happy to say that despite some other big projects in the works, I am going to return to the weekly posts.

For my first recipe of the unofficial summer season, I had to share this shrimp dish. It is so good. I love grilling with mango, during the caramelizing process it get so sweet and juicy. Cara cara oranges are a new favorite. Giant sized, they are more floral tasting and less acidic than other oranges. Their juice paired wonderfully with the mango. I had asked for requests over at the Coconut & Lime Facebook page when I announced the return of my grill Fridays and someone wanted a good grilled shrimp recipe. I think this fits the bill! Shrimp can be tricky to grill because they cook so quickly but in this case that is not a problem because the mango also cooks quickly. I served them with a side of rice which was merrily being made in our rice cooker while we grilled. No muss, no fuss!

Tangerine Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup tangerine juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
zest of 1 tangerine


tangerine frosting and candied tangerine slices


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour 6 wells in a cupcake pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, zest and sugar. Add the egg, mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder and salt to the butter mixture. Add the milk and juice to the rest of the batter and beat until well combined. Fill each well 2/3 of the way full.




Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with just one or two dry crumbs. Cool briefly in the pan, then remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before icing with tangerine frosting and topping with a candied tangerine slice.

My thoughts:

This time of year tangerines are really at their peak. Juicy and sweet they make a great change from the usual oranges. They also adapt well to to baked goods. Tangerine juice is rather sweet but there is a touch of tartness there that really makes for a delicious, light tasting cupcake. As for the cake itself the crumb is tender and light and the zest provides little bursts of flavor in every bite. The perfect alternative to a chocolate dessert.

How to Supreme An Orange, or a Tangerine, or a Grapefruit...

Supreming is one of those tricks that one can use to instantly make a dish look more special with just a little extra effort. To supreme citrus is to taking peeling to the next level-to actually remove the flesh of the fruit, whole, from the membranes. To be honest, there are not a whole lot of uses for this technique, but it is great for salads or in desserts when you might not want the slight bitterness of any pith or membrane to come through. Plus it looks impressive.

First, you start with a a whole fruit. Larger specimens are easier to handle so pick the largest tangerines, oranges etc as possible.




Next, cut off the very top and bottom of the fruit.



Then, peel the fruit using a knife.



You want to follow the shape of the fruit like so:



Continue until all of the peel is gone. If the peel or pith was especially thick or your fruit wasn't symmetrical, you might end up with a slightly misshapen fruit. It really won't make much of a difference.



Then you want to put you knife between the membrane and the fruit segment. Cut, repeat for the other side and remove the fruit. Repeat for the rest of the segments.



Voila! A naked fruit segment.

Key Lime Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:
4 cups plain greek style 2% yogurt*
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 2 key limes
1 tablespoon key lime juice

Directions:
Mix together all of the ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a ice cream maker and churn until thick, about 30 minutes. Freeze in a freeze safer container or serve immediately for a more "soft serve" style treat.


*I've heard you can make greek-style yogurt-which is thick like sour cream- by straining a double amount of regular yogurt overnight but I haven't tried it. You could also use full fat greek style yogurt here but 2% makes an extremely rich and creamy frozen yogurt and has a fraction of the total fat content.

My thoughts:

Due to some quirk in the universe, I often am able to find key limes (at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or H Mart) for less than the the cost of the more common Persian limes. Normally I just use them as I would a regular lime, but some times their slightly tarter flavor needs a place to shine. I've made a myriad of key lime recipes: the ubiquitous pies (both with and without coconut), sherbet, fruit salads, and even bread and curd but I think one of my favorite things to make with key limes is frozen yogurt. Homemade frozen yogurt is a thousand times better than what you can get at a store: the perfect balance of creamy and tangy and the texture is phenomenal. The tart key limes really bring out the tartness in the yogurt without being over powering. I also think regular limes or even oranges or tangerines would be a good substitute for the key limes if you don't have my luck in finding them.

Note: a couple of people have emailed me about the straining the yogurt option saying that it was a cheaper alternative to the greek yogurt that works just as well. Since I haven't tried it, I don't know if it works just as well. However, I am not entirely convinced that it is cheaper to strain your own. I bought (store brand) greek-style yogurt for $3 for 16 oz, so the total for the recipe was $6. A 32 oz container of regular plain (store brand) yogurt was $3.50. Since you'd have to buy twice the amount of regular yogurt to make faux greek-style yogurt, your total for this recipe would be $7. This means that straining the yogurt yourself is both more expensive and more work. I'd only substitute strained yogurt if I could no longer find the greek-style. Using the greek-style yogurt I went from opening the container to eating frozen yogurt in less than 40 minutes and saved a dollar. Of course, prices might vary depending where you live, but I did do my price comparisons at two national chains.

Kiwi Kumquat Salad with Key Lime Syrup

Ingredients:
6 kiwi, sliced
6 kumquats, sliced or halved
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon key lime juice
1/2 teaspoon key lime zest

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, juice and zest to a boil. Stir until completely dissolved and syrup has thickened. Meanwhile, arrange fruit in a bowl. Cool the syrup completely then pour over fruit. Pour any leftover syrup into a clean jar and cap tightly. Store leftover syrup in the refrigerator.

My thoughts:

I made this little fruit salad for breakfast this morning. It couldn't be simpler. I enjoyed the simple kiwi-kumquat combo but I bet it would be divine with some added chunks of citrus. Maybe blood oranges?

Mulled Wine

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine*
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup honey (or to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (or pods crushed)
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 lemon sliced
2 tangerines (or oranges) sliced
1 apple sliced

Slow-cooker directions:

Turn slow cooker to low. Add boiling water and dissolve honey in the water. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, lemon, tangerines, and apple. Add wine and brandy and stir. Keep slow cooker uncovered and allow wine to get hot but do not let it boil. If it gets too hot, turn off the slow cooker: it should still say fairly warm and you can turn it on again as needed. This shouldn't happen, but if it is a long party it might. Serve hot.

Stove top directions:

In a large pot, boil water. Dissolve the honey in the water. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, lemon, tangerines, and apple. Add wine and brandy and stir. Keep on a low flame uncovered and allow wine to get hot but do not let it boil. Serve hot.


*I'd go for something inexpensive but tasty.

My thoughts:

I had never had mulled wine until Thursday but I have decided I like it. It's like warm, spicy sangria and is a great way to stretch a bottle of wine for a party. We set it up in the slow cooker and it kept it warm all night, bur you could do the same in a large pot with a low flame.

Tangerine Dream Cookies

Ingredients:

1 egg
zest of one tangerine*
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup tangerine juice**
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt



Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, cream together butter, zest and sugar. Add egg and juice, mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mix until a thick dough forms and all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Drop tablespoonfuls on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes or until "set". The cookies will puff up quite a bit but they should no longer be shiny on the top and the bottoms should be lightly browned when you take them out of the oven. Cool on a wire rack, then eat!

*or tangelo
** no pulp!

My thoughts:

I have been wanting to make make something orange flavored for months now and just never got around to it. Then I saw some tangerine juice and thought "Why, tangerines are even better than oranges! Gadzooks, I'll make cookies!". Okay, maybe I didn't exactly say that, but I was going to make orange cookies until I saw the yummy tangelos and tangerine juice at the store. I am glad I did because these are some truly delightful cookies. Of course, you could make these cookies with oranges instead but "Orange Dream" isn't nearly as much fun to say.