Grapefruit Sorbet

This first class recipe comes from the Asheville based food blog A Spicy Perspective 



Grapefruit Basil Sorbet  Fat Free*Gluten Free*Dairy Free


Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 packed cup of basil leaves
• pinch of salt
• 4 large ruby red grapefruits, juiced

Method:

1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling add the lemon zest, basil leaves and salt. Stir, remove from heat, and cover. Steep the basil leaves in the simple syrup for at least 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add the lemon juice to a 4-cup measuring pitcher. Juice the grapefruits into the pitcher until you’ve measured 3 cups of combined juices. 
3. Strain the simple syrup and discard the basil leaves. Then mix the syrup with the juice. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or to speed up, put in the freezer for 1 hour.)
4. Pour the sorbet mixture into an electric ice cream maker. Turn on and mix for 20+ minutes, until the mixture reaches a “soft serve” consistency.
5. Eat immediately, or put in an airtight container and freeze.
6. After frozen, allow the sorbet to sit out for 10-15 minutes to soften before serving.

Makes approximately 1 ½ quarts of heaven!

*If you don't own an ice cream machine, you could freeze the mixture and shave it with a spoon for "Italian Ice."

Belgian Endive Salad with Orange

The following wonderfully healthy recipe comes from Angies Recipes a food blog based in Germany its a great way to start of the new year :-)



Dressing

• 50 g Plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp Walnut oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Honey
• 2/3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Orange peel, finely grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad 

• 2 head Belgian endive
• 2 Oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 Avocado, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 10 Black olives, cut into rings
• 5 Grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 Small red onion, cut into thin strips

Method:

1. Whisk together plain yogurt, walnut oil, mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready for use.
2. Cut the ends off endives, separating leaves. 
3. Arrange Belgian endive, orange sections and avocado slices in a serving bowl. Scatter with the olive rings, grape tomato halves, and onion strips. Drizzle the dressing over and serve with some bread.

Honeybells

Honeybell's are adored by many for their exceptional sweetness and juice. They are in fact a hybrid of an orange, grapefruit and tangerine made in the 1930's in Florida. Due to them being difficult to grow they are only available in January. 

Nearly all honeybells grow along the Indian river in Florida and growers are careful during harvesting as not to damage the bell shaped stem, the reason for their name.

Due to their juiciness its recommended to use a knife to slice segments over a plate and catch the juice. Here at the Orange Shop our grandfather used to joke that the only way to eat a honeybell is in the bathtub!

So why not start the new year with a delicious treat from Florida order your honeybells today.

Orange Butter Cake

The following wonderful citrus butter cake recipe comes from Bakericious  a wonderful baking blog based in Singapore. It can be made as a bigger cake or as cupcakes as desired.

Ingredients: (for one 8" x 3.5" x 3" and 12 cupcakes)

• 225g butter (softened)
• 200g castor sugar (if you prefer to have sweeter cake, you may increase to 225g but I reduced to 180g)
• 225g self raising flour (sifted)
• 4 eggs
• 1 small orange (I used medium size naval orange)

Method:

1. Wash a whole orange, cover with water in a small pot, bring to boil and then turn fire down to simmer orange slowly for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Cut cooked orange and remove the seeds and blend it, set aside to cool.

3. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs, one at a time to beat till well blended

5. Add the orange pulp, mix it well

6. Fold in flour and gently mix it. As oranges and eggs vary in size, if you feel that the final batter is too soft (ie, not dropping consistency per normal butter cake), please don't hesitate to add 1 or 2 more tbsp of sifted flour to bring it to the right consistency.

7. Pour batter into a greased and lined 8 inch cake tin.

8. Baked in a preheated oven at 170C for 40-45 mins or till skewer comes out clean.

9. Let cake cool in the pan for about 5mins before turning it out on a cooling rack

Note:

1. If the cake turn brown before cook, then use aluminium foil to cover and continue with the baking

2. The orange puree MUST be room temperature when you add it to the cake mixture, so you can prepare the orange puree in advance, does not have to be necessarily just before you start baking (I did it one day in advance, I chilled the orange puree in the fridge and brought out to room temperature).

Orange and Blueberry Cake

The following recipe comes from keep learning keep smiling a wonderful food blog full of great Malaysian and World Recipes.



Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 1C sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1C spelt flour
• 1C wholemeal spelt flour
• zest of 3 oranges (medium size)
• 1/2C orange juice
• 1/2C goat milk
• 200g frozen blueberries

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined.
2. Add the flours, zest and juice of the orange and the goat milk. Mix well. Finally stir in the frozen blueberries (taken out from the freezer just before mixing into the batter). Pour it into a shallow tin (lamington tin) and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes. 
3. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Page Oranges

Through the month of december we are picking and shipping page oranges. These little oranges known as petite oranges are a cross between a honeybell and clementine made in 1942. They have a short period of availability and make a refreshing treat with their super juicy interior and easy to peel skin.

If you live in Florida they also make a wonderful tree for your yard.

So why not order some today and enjoy this little gem of a fruit over the holidays.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

The following wonderful treat of a cake comes from Of Muses and Meringues a fun food blog from Canada

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake


(adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• zest of two oranges
• 1 1/2 cups flour, plus one tablespoon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 6 Tablespoons buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup good semisweet chocolate chunks

For the syrup:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

For the ganache:

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 6 Tablespoons heavy cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 6 cup bundt pan.  Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer for about five minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.
2. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk and vanilla.  Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour  Toss the chocolate chunks with 1 Tbsp flour and add to the batter.  Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
3. While the cake is baking, make the syrup.  In a small saucepan over medium low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves.  Remove the cake from the pan as specified at the end of the recipe, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake.  Allow it to cool completely.
4. For the ganache, melt the chocolate and cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.  Drizzle over the top of the cake.