citrus tian

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

It's the perfect time of year for a citrus dessert. Our weekly CSA box has been overflowing with oranges lately. Lemons are growing on trees throughout the neighborhood, so I decided to include some of those as well. For as crazy involved as the prep for this dessert is, I was surprised that my shopping list for ingredients I didn't have on hand was quite small: pectin and whipping cream.

I made the tian over the course of 2 days: day 1 involved segmenting the citrus and making orange marmalade; day 2 was a Sunday filled with the remaining steps. The original recipe calls for making individual tians using cookie cutters as the mold. This sounded pretty labor intense to me, and I wanted to end up with something I could bring to work to share, so I made one large 9x13" pan. I wanted to see how the individual ones would turn out, though, so made two individual servings using a muffin pan for my molds.

We had a slight mishap with the caramel. JR was cleaning up after dinner and I grabbed the pot from the fridge and put it on the stove. Then I got distracted by something outside of the kitchen. By the time I got back, JR had dumped and washed my caramel pot, mistaking it for dinner remnants to be cleaned up. Whoops! I'm not going to lie; the thought of all of the time it took me to squeeze enough oranges for 1 1/2 cups of orange juice brought a couple of tears to my eyes. The orange caramel would have been very tasty. In its place, I caramelized straight sugar.

I was a little nervous about the "family style" version of the dessert, specifically, how I was going to get it to work and whether it would hold up (I had visions of the whipped cream giving out and it turning into a big pile of mush). I ended up freezing the tian in the 9x13" pan for 2 days. The night before traveling with it, I dislodged it from the pan and cut it into bit-sized pieces, which I placed in individual muffin papers. I then put the bit-sized, papered pieces back into the pan in 2 layers and put it all back in the freezer. The frozen tian travelled beautifully. It defrosted in the fridge during the day, then I served it sprinkled with mint in the afternoon. It was gobbled up quickly, which I take to be a good sign!

Ready for the longest recipe ever? Here goes:

Orange Marmalade:

1/4 c. + 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice*

1 large orange

cold water

1 heaping tsp. pectin

agave nectar or sugar

*The original recipe uses weights rather than volume, which is why the amounts of some of the ingredients seem a little strange.

Finely slice orange (including rind). Place in a medium pot filled with cold water. Simmer 10 minutes. Discard water, refill with cold water, and blanch another 10 minutes. Repeat this process for a total of 3x (this removes the bitterness from the orange peel). Once cool, finely mince in food processor.

Measure orange (on a scale or with measuring cups): this is the amount of sweetener you will use. The original recipe calls for granulated sugar, but I substituted a combination of agave nectar and washed raw sugar (I would have used entirely agave nectar, but I ran out!).

In a pot over medium heat, add minced orange, sugar, orange juice, and pectin. Cook until jammy, 10-15 minutes. Refrigerate.

Citrus Supremes:

3 lemons

6 large oranges

Cut oranges into a shallow bowl, making sure to keep the juice. Add segments to bowl with juice. I learned how to correctly segment an orange by watching this YouTube video.

Pate Sablee:

2 medium egg yolks, at room temperature

6 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. + 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, ice cold and cubed

1/3 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Place flour, baking powder, butter, and salt in food processor with a steel blade. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar. Beat with whisk. Pour egg mixture into food processor (my food processor isn't that big, so at this point I transferred everything to the KitchenAid). Process until dough just comes together. If too crumbly, add a couple drops of water and process again. Form into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough onto lightly floured surface 1/4" thick. At this point, the original recipe calls for cutting the dough with cookie cutters that will ultimately be used to create the mini-desserts in. Instead of this, I made one large 9x13" rectangular dessert. I had a little dough left over, so also made 2 personal versions in muffin pans. That means for the dough, I had one big rectangle, and two small circles.

Bake 20 minutes, or until dough starts to turn golden.

Caramel:

1 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. orange juice

Place sugar in pan on medium heat and begin heating it. Once it starts to bubble and foam, add orange juice. As soon as mixture starts to boil, remove from heat and pour half of mixture over orange segments.

Reserve other half in a small bowl (you'll use it later to spoon over finished dessert). When dessert is assembled and in freezer, heat kept caramel sauce in small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). Spoon over citrus tians.

Whipped Cream:

3 Tbsp. hot water

1 tsp. agar flakes

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar

1 Tbsp. orange marmalade

In a small bowl, combine agar and hot water. Stir until agar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature while you make whipped cream.

Add cream to chilled mixing bowl. Whip with hand mixer on low until it begins to thicken (about 1 minute). Add sugar. Increase speed to medium-high. Whip until beaters leave visible but not lasting trails in cream. Add cooled agar slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until light and fluffy and soft peaks form. Fold in orange marmalade.

Assemble Dessert:

Drain citrus segments on paper towels. Have marmalade, whipped cream, and dough ready to use. Arrange citrus segments in bottom of pan. Make sure all touch and there are no gaps. Add whipped cream by the spoonful and gently spread in an even layer to cover orange slices. Spread even layer of marmalade on dough. Place dough onto dessert. Gently press to make sure dessert is compact. Place in freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Use a small knife to go around the edge of the pan to make the dessert easy to unmold. Place cutting board over pan and gently flip to unmold. Cut into small squares. Add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve!

One year ago: anchovy caesar salad

amazing citrus olive oil cake

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago when I was in Washington state at my mother's house and knew immediately that I would make it for my birthday. My 30th birthday. What better way to celebrate three decades than with a sophisticated olive oil cake?

I'm not a big cake baker. Or rather, I haven't been. I've made only a handful of cakes in my life (and I think all of them have involved a boxed mix...). But if there are many others out there as good as this one, I think that might change.

The sweet citrusy smell of this cake fills the whole house as it's baking. I happened to make it on the warmest Sunday on the peninsula to date this year with the windows open, and I'm sure made the neighbors jealous.

The cake recipe is from Orangette. I decided to make a bundt cake, rather than the 9" round directed in the recipe (though, courtesy of my mother, I am the proud new owner of both types of bakeware - thanks Mom!). The recipe for candied orange peel is from an old issue of Bon Appetit. Happy birthday to me!

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

1 medium orange

1 lemon

6 oz. raw almonds

1 c. all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. olive oil (I used meyer lemon olive oil from the farmers' market)

confectioners sugar, for dusting

candied orange peel (optional; recipe below)

Put the orange and lemon in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

Meanwhile, toast almonds on a baking sheet in a 325 oven for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool. Pulse in a food processor until the almonds are the texture of coarse sand.

Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan and dust with flour. Set aside.

When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half. Scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half and discard any seeds. Put the lemon rind and orange halves (with pulp) in food processor (no need to clean it between the almonds and this step). Process until you have a thick paste.

In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Slowly beat in sugar. Fold in flour mixture. Add almonds, citrus, and olive oil. Beat on low speed just enough to incorporate (don't overmix). Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan.

To serve, dust with confectioners sugar and top with candied orange peel.

Candied Orange Peel

Makes about 1 cup

1 large orange, 1/4 inch of top and bottom cut off

2 c. sugar, divided

1 1/2 c. water

Cut peel on orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment (including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into 1/4-inch wide strips. Cook in a large pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse well.

Bring 1 1/2 c. of water and 1 1/2 c. of sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain.

Toss peel and 1/2 c. sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel from sugar; transfer to a sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry - 1 to 2 days. Candied peel can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.

One year ago: birthday bananas

blackened green bean salad

We are having dinner at Dave and Ashley's house tonight. They asked that we bring a salad, so my mind went immediately to something lettuce or spinach based. Not having yet landed on what sort of salad to bring, I was flipping through a magazine earlier today and paused on a recipe for skillet cooked green beans. That sounded pretty tasty. It wasn't until later in the day that I realized I could introduce a few twists to this recipe and turn it into something that could pass as a salad...who says a salad has to have lettuce in it, anyway?

The result was super tasty, beautiful, and flexible: it can be eaten, hot, cold, or any temperature in between. Here's what I did:

Blackened Green Bean Salad

Serves 4

1 large orange

2 tsp. canola oil

1 lb. green beans, rinsed and trimmed

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. champagne vinegar

a handful of pecans, toasted

freshly ground black pepper

Finely grate the zest of orange; set zest aside. Segment orange, removing as much of the pith as possible. Slice each segment in half lengthwise and crosswise, cutting each segment into 4 pieces. Set aside.

Heat canola oil over high heat in a large skillet. When it begins to smoke, add the green beans. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, stirring only every 2 minutes or so, until the beans are half blistered and blackened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the orange juice, olive oil, and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Transfer the green beans to a serving platter. (If your salad is going to travel, like mine, or you're preparing it ahead of time, allow the green beans to cool in pan then cover and store in fridge until ready to use). Scatter orange slices over beans, then pour dressing over the top. Sprinkle with orange zest, toasted pecans, and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

One year ago: sauteed radicchio

spinach salad with oranges and avocado

I'm currently on week 2 of a 30-day cleanse. I had thought embarking on this cleanse that I wouldn't have anything worth posting about (or at least not anything that anyone else would want to eat!). I was wrong.

Eating 70% raw fruits and vegetables (the basic rule for the current week of the cleanse) means that I'm trying all sorts of new combinations with fresh ingredients. I tend to eat a lot of vegetables, but not such a high proportion of raw vegetables, so this week is becoming an adventure. This salad is something I'll definitely make again. The combination of flavors is great. Here's how it goes:

Spinach Salad with Oranges and Avocado

Serves 2

Dressing:

1 shallot, minced

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. champagne vinegar

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

4 cups baby spinach

2 oranges, peeled, sectioned, and cut in half

1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Make dressing by whisking dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Combine spinach, orange sections, and avocado slices in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over top and mix well. Top with freshly ground black pepper.

As I was eating this salad, I was thinking that walnuts and blueberries would both be great additions to it. I'll try that next time. Let me know what you think!

friday night citrus

There is a bowl on our dining room table that has been filled with citrus since Thanksgiving. We spent the holiday weekend at a house in Sonoma with friends. Back with us came lemons from the tree in the front yard (and a couple of oranges from the neighbor's!). Our bowl has contained waxing and waning oranges, lemons, and limes ever since. Tonight's menu incorporates citrus in every dish.

Tempeh is something I've recently fallen in love with. It's cultured soy that has a very different texture (denser?) and taste (nuttier) than tofu. The Complete Guide to Nutritional Health highlights tempeh as one of the superfoods for its immunity boosting and cancer/heart disease preventing properties. Tempeh contains no saturated fats and is one of the few vegetable products to contain vitamin B12.

My plans tonight are for orange tempeh served over brown rice (cooked substituting half of the water called for with freshly squeezed mandarin juice to continue the citrus theme), perhaps mixed with some chopped parsley and with a side of roasted broccoli. Recipes below. Happy Friday!

Orange Tempeh

Inspired by Heidi Swanson (www.101cookbooks.com), modified based on ingredients on hand

1 c. orange juice (I used freshly squeezed mandarin)

2 tsp. tamari

2 Tbsp. mirin (chinese cooking wine)

2 tsp. maple syrup

2 cloves crushed garlic

tempeh, cut into bit size pieces

olive oil

Mix together orange juice through garlic and set aside. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Fry tempeh on one side until it starts to brown (about 5 minutes). Flip and do the same on the other side. Pour sauce over tempeh and simmer, flipping the tempeh a few times, until the sauce thickens (about 15 minutes). When serving, spoon extra sauce over the tempeh and a splash of freshly squeezed lime juice.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

(It's still not as good as at Black Bottle, but I'm going to keep trying!)

broccoli, chopped

1/4 c. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

lime juice

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Chop broccoli and put in a bowl. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add red pepper and heat for an additional 5 minutes. Add oil mixture to broccoli and mix well to combine. Squeeze juice of half a lime into bowl along with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Toss to combine. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

the bachelor & black bean hummus

Treasures in this week's CSA box include:

fuji apples

yukon potatoes

mandarin oranges

flat leaf parsley

gold chard

carrots

broccoli

Tonight, Marika and I are watching the latest episode of the Bachelor (recorded from earlier this week). Cross the CSA treasures with a need for tasty snacky food and what do you get? Black bean & orange hummus. Yum!

The hummus recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks - Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan (see Dreena Burton's blog). This particular cookbook has an entire chapter devoted to hummus. I've tried most of them and the black bean and orange tops my list. Here's how it goes:

Black Bean & Orange Hummus

From: Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan (Dreena Burton)

2 1/2 cups cooked black beans

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 1/2 Tbsp almond butter

1 large clove garlic, sliced

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 tsp orange zest

freshly ground black pepper

1-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

In a food processor, combine all ingredients (except parsley for garnish) and puree until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl several times. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

I usually substitute the parsley with cilantro (there's something about cilantro + orange that I LOVE),

but went ahead and used parsley as called for this time since it was part of the CSA delivery. The carrots and broccoli from the box will make the perfect 'lil dippers. Ta Da! Healthy snacks! Perhaps that will help balance out our fabulously trashy TV viewing of the Bachelor!

Stay tuned for notes on what happens with the rest of the CSA treasures this week!