Seville Oranges: A Bright Spot in a Bitterly Short Season
Jeannette Ordas
Every February the hunt at my local market begins. It's when the elusive Seville orange makes an appearance and I don't want to miss that moment for anything. Never had one? Maybe you've heard of a bitter orange or a marmalade orange instead. Due to their high pectin content and beautifully dimpled skin, Sevilles are usually relegated to making marmalade---and while I've got nothing against marmalade, it's never been high on my to-do list.
Two years ago I tried my first Seville orange and decided to make a Nigella Lawson recipe for a really simple bitter orange quick ice cream. It was icy, creamy and tart and I didn't need to use an ice cream maker. Plus, it put a nice dent into my precious Seville supply.
Yesterday I lucked into the mother lode of Seville oranges (.45 cents a pound) at an Asian market just a couple blocks away from my apartment. While I could make a tart Seville orangeade or another batch of ice cream, the hunt for something new to make with this very precious cargo is on!
Looking around online, I stumbled across The Pie Lady and her perfectly textured Seville orange flan. Dripping with caramel, studded with vanilla and drizzled with creme fraiche, this dessert looks well-heeled and sophisticated. The very sweetness of the caramel provides a perfect counterpoint to the sourness of the orange and is probably the only photo of a flan that has actually made me want to eat one. Nice work, Pie Lady!
The British Larder comes up with a textured and fragrant raw salad of fennel, Seville orange, chicory and kohlrabi. An ideal way to use up that wintery veg piling up in your winter CSA share box. The Seville orange vinaigrette can be adapted to any winter salad and I'm sure would taste fantastic on a platter of bitter mixed greens and radishes.
Back into dessert mode sits this beautiful Sicilian orange cake from the Greedy Gourmand. While she mentions that the cake fell in the middle and she wouldn't try the recipe again, I think I'd love to give this recipe a go. But then again, I always have a soft spot in my heart for a fallen cake. You say disaster, I say gimme another slice already.
However out of all the recipes I've come across, it's Lucy's Kitchen Notebook's mother-in-law's handwritten recipe for Vin d'Orange that I want to try the most. French countryside in a bottle? Sign me up! Lucky writes that Vin d'Orange is a traditional apérétif that is bottled and passed around families and neighbors in France rather than something purchased at the store. Shaken into a cocktail or served with soda water, I can't think of a better way to enjoy the fragrant bitter orange.
Got any other Seville orange recipes or ideas? Leave me a comment and help me use up the 8 pounds of oranges I've recently purchased.
