Orange marmalade
A good marmalade is a fine thing, gem-like in colour and delicious on sourdough toast atop a generous slathering of butter. You will need a sugar thermometer to monitor the temperature here.
Makes six 330ml jars
1kg oranges, preferably Seville
2 litres water
2kg golden granulated sugar
150ml lemon juice, plus more if needed
1 Sterilise the jars and set them aside until you are ready to pot the marmalade. Wash the fruit thoroughly. Put a plate in the freezer.
2 Put the whole oranges in your largest pan with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil very gently, partially cover, then cook for 2 hours, until completely soft when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool. You should have about 1 litre of liquid left.
3 Cut the oranges in half, scoop out the flesh and push through a sieve. Add the flesh to the poaching liquid. Set over a medium heat, add the sugar and lemon juice, then heat until the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile, finely slice the orange peel and add it to the saucepan.
4 Increase the heat to 104.5C/220.1F. Stir once or twice, but not too much, as stirring cools the pot. Spoon a bit on to the chilled plate and see if it wrinkles when you push a finger through. If not, return to the heat with 50ml more lemon juice for 10 minutes. Repeat until you have the correct set. Cool for 10 minutes to allow the peel to distribute, then pot into hot jars using a jug or funnel. Seal, label and eat within 18 months.
Ian James, Nicholas Selby and Louisa Chapman-Andrews, Melrose and Morgan’s Good Food for Your Table (Salt Yard)
Raw oranges with cinnamon and mint salad
Simply does it in this ever-so-fresh platter of sliced orange, flecked with picked mint leaves and an unexpected dusting of cinnamon.
Serves 2
2 oranges
50g raw cane sugar
A few mint leaves
A pinch of ground cinnamon
A splash of orange liqueur (optional)
1 Peel the skin and pith from the oranges with a sharp knife, then slice them horizontally into discs about 1cm thick.
2 Sprinkle with the sugar, tear the mint leaves and scatter on top. The mint flavour should be quite subtle, so go easy on the leaves.
3 Sprinkle with the cinnamon – again a little will go far. If you like, add a splash of orange liqueur for a delicious, simple dessert.
Tom Hunt, The Natural Cook (Quadrille)
Duck and orange broth
A classic combo, and for good reason – the citrus fruit judiciously cuts through the richness of the meat. Buoyed here by bountiful aromatics and lashings of port and soy, the broth is full-bodied with a distinctive umami-rich Asian flavour.
Serves 4-6
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 duck legs (Cornish, preferably or another really great quality duck)
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 large onion, peeled and cut into six equal pieces
2 celery sticks, halved
1 large leek, cut down the middle, then halved
1 orange, peeled and cut into quarters
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 star anise
A pinch of white peppercorns
A pinch of fennel seeds
A pinch of coriander seeds
2 dried juniper berries
A sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 red chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsp each of hoisin, sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
500ml port
2 litres brown chicken stock
500ml beef stock
For the salad
200ml olive oil
100ml white wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
4 red radishes, finely sliced
½ cucumber, cut into fine batons
4 spring onions, julienned
1 baby gem lettuce, core removed, leaves halved
1 In a deep casserole, fry the duck legs over a medium heat in the vegetable oil – they will produce their own fat. Keep basting for about 10 minutes, or until nicely beautiful golden all over, then set aside.
2 In the same pan, fry the carrots, onion, celery, leek, orange and garlic for about 10 minutes or until caramelised. Add the star anise, peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, juniper berries, thyme, bay leaf and red chilli (remove the seeds if you prefer a little less heat, and feel free to add a touch more chilli if you really like to turn the heat up!). Distribute evenly to bring out those lovely Asian flavours throughout the dish. Add the hoisin sauce, dark soy, sweet chilli sauce and the port, then reduce gradually until the vegetables and other ingredients are covered in a dark, sticky sauce.
3 Add both stocks, bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then add the duck legs back in.
4 Place a piece of greaseproof paper, cut to fit the pan with slightly upturned edges, on to the surface of the liquid. Be careful not to let it boil. This can now be simmered on a low heat with the lid on the pan, or it can be put in a preheated oven at 125C/250F/gas mark 1, for 1-1½ hours.
5 Meanwhile, mix the oil with the white wine vinegar, season to taste, then toss with the remaining salad ingredients. Set aside.
6 The duck meat should now be falling away from the bone; take the legs out and rest them on a rack. Taste the broth at this stage; if you want a touch more orange, add some orange peel and leave it to infuse for a little while.
7 Pass the liquid through a sieve to remove all the vegetables etc. Skim off the duck fat on top.
8 The duck legs should now be cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and discard, then pick the meat off the bones. For a real Asian note, you could now mix a few sesame seeds and chopped fresh coriander into the flakes of meat.Make a mound of this succulent meat in the middle of each serving bowl, and dress with an array of the fresh salad ingredients. Serve with the broth already poured on top
Paul Ainsworth, Number Six restaurant, number6inpadstow.co.uk
Orange, rose and polenta cake
Like an edible spring garden in the dead of winter, this floral treat tastes as lovely as it looks. Orange and polenta with ground almonds makes the most moist of bakes.
Serves 12
For the cake
225g butter (at room temperature)
125g white sugar
100g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs, beaten
225g ground almonds
115g polenta
Juice and zest of 3 oranges
A large pinch of rose petals
1½ tsp baking powder
For the topping
100g white sugar
75g orange juice
A small handful of rose petals
Zest of 1 orange
To serve
Creme fraiche
Rose water
Fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 In a food processor, blitz the butter, white sugar and dark muscovado sugar until pale and fluffy. You can do this with a wooden spoon, but it’s far easier in a machine.
2 While the processor is working, slowly add the beaten eggs to the mix. Be careful not to add the eggs too quickly or the mix will split.
3 Add the ground almonds and polenta to the mix and blitz again to form a smooth batter.
4 Add the orange zest and juice to the batter along with the rose petals and baking powder, then blitz one final time. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3.
5 Line a 25cm-diameter springform cake tin with parchment paper and pour the batter in. Bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6 While the cake is cooking, make the topping. Put the white sugar and orange juice into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer over a low heat for 3-5 minutes until it’s a light syrup.
7 Once the cake is cooked, still in the tin and warm, skewer 15–20 holes into the top and evenly pour the hot syrup over it, tilting the cake so the syrup is evenly distributed. Sprinkle the remaining 10g of rose petals and zest of the remaining orange on top and allow the whole thing to set in the fridge overnight. Serve with creme fraiche loosened with a splash of rose water to taste, and chopped mint leaves.
Alex Bluett, Friska, friskafood.com
Pork tenderloin with blood oranges
This aromatic rub of spices and herbs infuses the meat with flavour as it roasts. A side serving of blood-red citrus fruit lifts this dish to new heights.
Serves 2-4
680g pork tenderloin
2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced horizontally
For the marinade
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 blood orange
For the rub
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 First make the marinade. Whisk the olive oil and orange juice together, then generously spread it over both sides of the pork tenderloin. Marinate the meat in a covered bowl in the fridge for at least 30 minutes – preferably for a few hours.
2 Preheat the oven to its highest setting: 240C/475F/gas mark 9, or higher if your oven allows it. In a small bowl, combine all the spices for the rub. Place the pork on either a baking tray or roasting dish and cover with the rub. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the meat is brown on the outside.
3 Peel and slice the blood oranges, then serve them alongside the pork.
Lucy Madison and Tram Nguyen, penandpalate.net
Rye and orange cookies
Here the freshness of orange provides an excellent foil to the robustness of the rye flakes. This super-speedy dough needs no resting or kneading.
Makes about 35
50g butter
125g rye flakes
250g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp plain flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp orange zest, finely grated
A pinch of salt
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Melt the butter and mix it with the rye flakes in a bowl. Stir in the sugar and eggs. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, orange zest and salt. Stir this into the rye mix.
2 Use two teaspoons to drop small mounds of the mixture on to a baking tray lined with baking parchment, spacing them out well. (You may have to bake these in batches.)
3 Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, then leave to cool a little before using a palette knife to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. When cold, store in an airtight tin for up to three weeks.
Trine Hahnemann, Scandinavian Baking (Quadrille)
Raw brill with rapeseed oil, orange and tarragon
Orange and tarragon work extremely well with raw fish. Use the freshest, best-quality fish available and the sharpest knife in your drawer. Freeze the fish overnight.
Serves 6
1 brill (about 2kg)
2 oranges
A handful of fine tarragon leaves
100ml cold-pressed extra virgin rapeseed oil
Salt
1 Fillet and skin the brill, then freeze overnight.
2 Allow the brill to thaw slightly, then slice it as thinly as possible. Lay the fish slices out evenly on a large serving plate and season with salt.
3 Peel and segment the oranges, removing all the pith and membrane. Cut into small pieces.
4 Distribute the orange pieces and tarragon leaves evenly over the plates. Drizzle with the rapeseed oil and season with salt. Serve at room temperature.
Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen (Quadrille)
Chocolate fondants with bitter orange centres
This sweet/bitter flavour combination is tried and tested. After-dinner puds don’t get much better than this.
Serves 6
150g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (around 70% cocoa)
2 medium eggs
2 medium egg yolks
125g golden caster sugar
50g plain flour
4 tbsp Seville orange marmalade
2 tbsp creme fraiche, chilled, plus extra to serve
1 Cut the butter into small pieces, then melt it with the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a baking tray in the oven at 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Grease six 150ml nonstick mini pudding basins.
2 In a mixing bowl and using an electric hand whisk if possible, whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together for 5 minutes until light and airy. Finally, whisk in the flour and the melted chocolate and butter.
3 Add some chocolate mixture to each mini pudding basin until they are nearly half full. Chop the marmalade in a cup, using scissors. Mix the marmalade with the chilled creme fraiche and add some to each pudding – make a slight dip in the centre of the chocolate mixture to spoon it into. Top with the remaining chocolate mixture.
4 Put the puddings on the hot baking tray and bake them for 12 minutes – make sure you set a timer. Leave them to settle, out of the oven, for 5 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the inside of each one and turn them out. Serve with extra creme fraiche.
Sarah Randell, Marmalade: A Bittersweet Cookbook (Salt Yard)
Braised chicory with orange
Slow-cooked chicory – its bitter notes jostling pleasingly with the citrus – makes a beautiful side to a plate of salmon or white meat such as chicken, or even game.
Serves 4
4 firm, white chicory bulbs
80g butter
¼ lemon
Juice of 2 oranges
2 pinches of caster sugar
Salt and black pepper
1 Using a small knife, make a cross in the base of each chicory bulb, to help them cook. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 50g of the butter, the lemon quarter and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a medium heat. As soon as it boils, place a piece of greaseproof paper flat on the surface of the water and cook over a gentle heat for 1–1½ hours. To check when they are cooked, insert the point of a knife into the plumpest part of the bulb of a chicory bulb; it should go in with minimal resistance.
2 Tip the chicory and cooking liquid into a dish, replace the paper on the surface and set aside for at least 1 hour, or longer.
3 Reduce the orange juice by two thirds in a small pan over a gentle heat; set aside.
4 About 10 minutes before serving, drain the chicory and press each bulb gently to extract some of the liquid held inside. Heat the remaining 30g butter in a frying pan and, as soon as it is foaming, sprinkle in the sugar and add the chicory. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned all over.
5 Add the reduced orange juice and cook over a gentle heat, so the chicory absorbs nearly all the juice.
6 Season and serve at once with a little braising juice from the pan.
Michel Roux, The Essence of French Cooking (Quadrille)
Orange-glazed sweet potatoes
The orange and the mulling spices bring out the caramel notes of sweet potato to great effect. Serve as an accompaniment to grilled meat or fish or on its own with a crisp salad and a dollop of sour cream.
Serve 4
2 medium sweet potatoes
For the glaze
A pinch of salt
200g sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
3 cloves
1 star anise
5cm cinnamon stick
50g butter
200ml water
1 Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Bake the sweet potatoes in their skins directly on the oven shelf for about 1 hour until they are cooked, then peel and cut in 2cm slices.
2 Put all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan. Simmer over a low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the liquid until it is quite syrupy, then strain to remove the spices.
3 Add the sweet potatoes to the syrup and gently turn them over until warmed and covered in the glaze.
Martin Morales, Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen (W&N)
