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« Citrus Oils February 8, 2008
 For some reason, people think I eat out all the time. While I like eating in restaurants, I don't like being served something that I don't like. (Funny, huh?) So I mostly make food for myself, since when I do, I get to pick and choose exactly what I'm going to make, what I'm going to put into it, and how to cook it. I've become the proverbial free man in Paris. Working as a pâtissier for so many years, thought, it's assumed that I want complicated, fancy desserts bulging with buttercream and towering with spun sugar and whimsical bits of foam, spheres, and powders strewn all over the place. While I appreciate the work and skill that goes into those kinds of things (Sam Mason has really impressed me with desserts that were creative and delicious), I really like simple food, especially after a rich or spicy meal. I don't think dessert should be the proverbial "nail in the coffin" after dinner and I'm always curious when people say, "That restaurant wasn't very good. When we left, we were still hungry!"  I've been writing a bit about Korean food, but Japanese cuisine is a pretty good example of how I like to eat too. There are lots of small, highly-interesting and flavorful bites which are designed to leave you satisfied, but not stuffed. I recently read Untangling My Chopsticks by Victoria Riccardi, about her studies of the food and ritual of tea kaiseki in Japan, and observed: "Through tea kaiseki I genuinely had come to believe that when you leave a meal, moment, or place not quite completely satisfied, you cherish it that much more because it was ephemeral and left you wanting." I though that was an interesting observation and remembered when Alice Waters was kind enough to write an introduction in one of my books, she compared my sensibility to a perfect glass of tangerine juice she was served in Japan for dessert. It wasn't complicated, but the cool-sweet sensation of that little glass of juice hit exactly the right note after dinner. I always find desserts like that to be the most appealing.  Being citrus season, my market is exploding in a riot of colorful oranges sanguines. The merchants always slice a couple of blood oranges open and leave them facing outward, since they are a beacon to shoppers who marvel at their color, and can't resist bringing a few home. When I started working at Chez Panisse back in the 1980's, few had seen red-fleshed oranges and guests were forever asking me, "How do you get the oranges that color?" We'd gotten ours from Italy, but times have changed and now blood oranges are grown in the America and depending on where you live, they're readily available. If they're not, I think they're worth moving for.
1. Juice your blood oranges. The measure the juice. 2. For each 1 cup (250ml) of juice, figure 1/4 cup (50g) of granulated sugar to be added. For example: Use 1/2 cup (100g) sugar for 2 cups juice (500ml). 3. Put the sugar in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Add just enough juice to saturate it very well. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. 4. Stir the sugar back into the reserved blood orange juice. 5. Chill thoroughly, then freeze in your ice cream maker.
Oranges by John McPhee (Excellent book on oranges. Surprisingly fascinating!) Comments good timing - i need to make candied peel this weekend since i am taking delivery of a sack of oranges from a kindly Marinite Mad blogger. Apparently they will be peel-heavy and not so juicy so I will need to candy the peel. Posted by sam at February 8, 2008 3:56 PM Looks so good, I need to get an ice cream machine. Posted by Kami at February 8, 2008 3:59 PM My absolute favorite sorbet to make/eat ever. The color alone makes me swoon! Posted by radish at February 8, 2008 4:18 PM Shoot, I was going to swoon too but some one beat me to it. Now I'm just teetering on my feet with visions of blood oranges doing the tango in my head. I asked my honey "Is that a blood orange tree in the back yard?" Unfortunately no, I knew that but was hoping it had some how magically changed while reading this recipe. Posted by TACE at February 8, 2008 4:34 PM David, how much stabilizer would you add, if you had it? Thanks! Posted by timhenk at February 8, 2008 4:38 PM We have a small but prolific blood orange tree and I love the fruit--but have never candied the rinds. Great idea. Posted by Casey at February 8, 2008 4:53 PM Gorgeous photo at the top. And I love how much good fruit is treasured in Japan. They really understand how simplicity can be sublime. Posted by elarael at February 8, 2008 4:56 PM The best thing is a "little bite" or something light--I looove a good sorbet or a bit of fruit on the tail end of a meal. Maybe it's because I grew up on Korean food and cuisine but I never got used to a dessert course. Don't get me wrong, I still order dessert with exuberance, but it feels like an entirely different track: Cakes and such were eaten separate of a meal--and when my then-fiance, now husband, showed up to his first dinner with my parents yielding a big rich chocolate cake, he got puzzled looks from my parents. It wasn't until I entered college and went out for regular lunches and dinners at restaurants throughout SF (The Dining Room, Campton Place, Silks, Postrio, Masa's, Fleur de Lys, etc.) with a major foodie friend with deep pockets that I learned to include the dessert course. Every time I begged to turn down dessert, he would say, "You're going to END ON ENTREE?" Then he a beat of silence. "Well--suit yourself." Of course I would then order a dessert. And end up gorged with a hazy memory of the meal. Anyway--this sorbet looks wonderful. Sorry for the blabber--but your point on dessert and "little bites" inspired me. Posted by C(h)ristine at February 8, 2008 5:00 PM Of course, that comes from not having their palates fried by doritos and whatever else passes for food in the Western world, haha...It's more an honoring of great fruit than treasuring. Posted by elarael at February 8, 2008 5:04 PM Beautiful, beautiful sorbet, and any book by John McPhee is fascinating. He's great. Posted by Linda H. at February 8, 2008 5:46 PM Delicious looking sorbet! Can't wait for summer to make one... Your pictures made me miss the Caribbean! :) Margot Posted by Coffee and Vanilla at February 8, 2008 5:52 PM Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! I have got to make that! Posted by Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy at February 8, 2008 11:16 PM Distracted by the great color, I always forget how differently delicious blood oranges are. What a wonderful mouthful! I wonder how they'd be in marmalade... Posted by Kate Hill at February 9, 2008 2:27 AM Tace: As mentioned, you can use any other kinds of oranges or tangerines with this recipe. Maybe you can make a deal with your neighbors? A trade? Kate: Cooking the juice tends to muddy the color, so I prefer to use blood oranges au naturale. There's a great round-up of ideas over at Simply Recipes, too. Tim: I've never used stabilizers; they tried to get me to use gelatin at one restaurant I worked at, but I refused (!) An excellent resource in the US is Le Sanctuaire, which has all those kinds of products (and some pretty cool cookware and toys.) Linda H: Have you read it? People kept telling me "You have to read it. It's a great book." And when I finally did, it was pretty fascinating. Who knew all that interesting stuff about oranges? Posted by David at February 9, 2008 2:28 AM Looks bloody good!! Posted by Babeth at February 9, 2008 2:50 AM I think I will make this and use regular oranges like you suggested. Though not as fascinating looking as the blood orange I know it'll be delicious! Posted by TACE at February 9, 2008 4:42 AM I made a grapefruit/campari sorbet that was the perfect palate cleanser!! Posted by Randi at February 9, 2008 8:52 AM You have no idea how happy I am to have found your blog!! I just picked about 20 lbs. of blood oranges in Lanuvio (a town outside of Rome) and I had no idea how I would juice them all before they rotted, so i am going to try this. One of the pleasures of the Italian winter is access to the best tasting citrus I have ever had! Although, sadly, this year, the fruit at our nonno's land weren't not nearly as juicy as last years. But that was the same with the olive oil. The 2006 harvest was the best in 20 years, and 2007 was just drops. Anyway, thanks for reminding me of what I can do with the gorgeous produce I just got! Posted by SARAH MAY GRUNWALD at February 9, 2008 9:43 AM Hi David-- I'm having an ice cream sundae party soon using recipes from your book. I was actually thinking of making a citrus sorbet for people who want to go the less-rich route... And maybe chocolate sorbet... Then I'll have chocolate & vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, & white chocolate sauce. I'm having my guests bring other toppings. :) Posted by Ellen at February 9, 2008 11:27 AM My husband makes me blood orange sorbet all the time. It's my favorite. In Seattle, I has it infused with a hint of jasmine (or jasmine rice....I can't remember) Haven't been able to figure out the exact proportions yet on that one but oh was it yummy! Posted by Melanie at February 9, 2008 2:47 PM Hey David, what do you mean by a non-reactive saucepan? Sorry if that's a stupid question. I have stainless steel, copper, nonstick, and hard-anodized nonstick to choose from. Thanks :) It's too bad you're not in California right now! My various citrus trees are brimming with fruit! Posted by Krishna at February 9, 2008 3:36 PM David, I haven't read "Oranges" by McPhee. I will now. I lived not far south of the Indian River in Florida for a couple of years, and can say the oranges are good. "Annals of the Former World" is my favorite of the several McPhee books that I've read. It's all geology, but he makes it fascinating, for about 700 pages! Posted by Linda H. at February 9, 2008 11:28 PM I had to try this and did. The blood oranges that Whole Foods had were Sunkist. They were large and heavy, so I expected a lot of juice. After making sugared rind out of the peels, I was surprised (and a little disappointed) when I cut the fruits in half to see how thick the rinds were. I got barely 2 cups of juice from the 6 oranges I bought. Second observation: these oranges don't seem to have a distinctive flavor. The color of the sorbet was gorgeous, of course. And all the tasters found it to be delicious. Still, I think I'll try a sweeter juicier orange next time. Posted by sixty-five at February 11, 2008 12:09 AM Hi Sixty-five: Blood oranges can be tricky sincei there's so many varieties being grown. I find the Torocco to be super-juicy with a lighter color whereas the Moro oranges are the most colorful, have the most concentrated flavor, and yield the smaller amount of juice. For regular oranges, 'juicing' oranges yield the most juice, like Valencia. Oranges from colder climates have thicker skins to protect them from the cold, too. And of course, all are affected by seasonal variations. As you know, (but for others out there)—the best indication of whether or not an orange will be juicy is to lift a few; the heaviest ones should have the most juice. Linda H. I was just thumbing through the book again and decided to re-read it. It really is pretty interesting and full of great stories and lore. Krishna: If the copper is nickel-lined, it's ok to use. Not tin or unlined. Neither are cast-iron or aluminum good to use as they're reactive. Stainless steel, glass, non-stick, or anodized aluminum are all non-reactive. Posted by David at February 11, 2008 2:25 AM Wonderful post. Just curious though, what is your method for candying the peel? Mine never look as good as yours and go through a long boiling process. Would very much like to know. hearts, Posted by Garrett at February 11, 2008 11:08 AM Garrett: I use my directions in my book, Room For Dessert (which I was certain you kept under your pillow.) Basically the juiced rinds are cooked for 30-60 mins, until tender. Cooled, then the pith is scraped out. I slice the colorful orange rind in strips and candy them in a sugar syrup to about 225F, then toss in a boatload of sugar, shaking off the excess. When are you coming to clean my freezer btw? Cenk can't make it this week... Posted by David at February 11, 2008 3:33 PM David, Posted by Amanda at February 12, 2008 1:23 PM Hi David, I recently discovered your blog, and I thank you very much for the simple yet elegantly written recipe for blood orange sorbet. My batch came out exceptionally well.
Sincerely, Posted by Sanjay at February 12, 2008 4:18 PM This looks absolutely beautiful. I may try it with regular oranges first though, as I have some nice juicy organic ones in my fridge right now... Posted by Lyra at February 12, 2008 9:30 PM I DO need to make this. Do you think it would benefit from one or two whisked egg whites for better texture? Thanks a lot David :) Posted by angie at February 13, 2008 6:27 AM Amanda: I always used fresh juice; that's the benefit of making your own sorbet—that fresh-flavor. Bottled juice would work, but it won't be as delicious. Angie: I'd say to add a pour of Champagne if you think the texture needs improving. I don't add egg whites to sorbet since I like the purity of flavor and the egg white can make them a bit frothy-tasting. Lyre: Yes, it works great with regular oranges too! Sanjay: I have no idea what cake-batter ice cream is~sorry~ Posted by David at February 13, 2008 6:39 AM Hello David, Thank you for your swift response. The Cake Batter Ice-cream flavor is readily available in the summer months in most mom-and-pop ice-cream parlors in New England. It usually contains cake flour, chocolate swirls or chunks mixed in the usual Vanilla ice-cream. It also happens to be the most popular ice-cream flavor at Cold Stone creamery. I will definitely experiment with this flavor, and send you the recipe when I am close to perfecting it. I am planning to start with the recipe listed in this link - http://www.recipezaar.com/128952. I definitely recommend that you taste Gifford of Maine's Cake batter ice cream during your next trip to the States. Thank you again, Posted by Sanjay at February 13, 2008 2:47 PM ah! how'd you know that blood orange sorbet is my favorite. The best combination I've tasted is blood orange - guava. They complement each other perfectly! But I'll take some of your suggestions too the next time I make it. Posted by matthew k. at February 13, 2008 6:52 PM I have to admit, I never make sorbet in my ice cream maker. I don't like the consistency. Instead I do it exactly as my mom taught me: Make the mix by blending in the food processor. Freeze in a shallow tupperware. Break up the icy disk with a spoon and scrape all the chunks into the food processor. Process till entirely smooth. Refreeze. If you want to eat it a few days later and it's hardened too much, simply repeat the step of putting the frozen disc into the food processor.
Posted by Mari at February 14, 2008 12:00 PM |
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