Burnt Orange Caramel Sauce Food

PUMPKIN AND CORNMEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Position oven rack in middle of oven, preheat to 350 degrees.
• Butter a 9-inch bundt pan.
• With a mixer and paddle attachment, beat butter, zest and sugar until light and fluffy- about 3 minutes.
• One at a time, add egg and egg yolks, beating well and scraping sides of bowl after each addition.
• Beat in pumpkin and vanilla.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, stir in cornmeal.
• Add dry mixture to pumpkin batter in 3 staqges, stirring gently but thoroughly with rubber spatula after each addition.
• Do not overwork batter.
• In a clean bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks.
• Gently fold whites into batter with spatula until there are no longer any white streaks.
• Scrape batter into pan, smooth surface.
• Bake until top is springy when lightly touched, the sides should be pulling away from the pan and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean- about 40-50 minutes.
• Let cool for 20 minutes and then invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.
• Dust with powdered sugar if you like.
• For Orange Syrup: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine orange juice and sugar, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Boil without stirring for 2 minutes.
• Serve each slice with a drizzle of warm syrup accompanied by yougurt or vanilla ice cream.

BURNT ORANGE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch glass loaf pan or an 8-inch square glass baking pan.
• Arrange the brioche on a wire rack to dry out. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. (Whisk really well or you'll get scrambled eggs when placed in the oven.) Add the milk, vanilla and salt and whisk until completely blended. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. Whisk in the citrus zest.
• Place the brioche in the prepared pan, cutting to fit as needed. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, filling the dish to the top. You may not be able to add all of the custard at this point. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, so that the bread can absorb the custard.
• Just before baking, top off the dish with more of the remaining custard if the previous addition has been completely absorbed. Cover the dish with foil and bake until it has just set (no color is necessary), about 1 hour 15 minutes for a loaf pan and 35 to 45 minutes for an 8-inch square pan. To test for doneness, uncover the dish, slip a knife into the center and push the bread aside. If the custard is still very liquid, cover the dish and return the pudding to the oven for another 10 minutes. If only a little liquid remains, the pudding is ready to come out of the oven. The custard will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven and it will set up as it cools.
• Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. You can serve the bread pudding by slicing it and removing each slice with an offset spatula, or by scooping it out with a serving spoon. Divide the bread pudding among plates. Add a scoop of ice cream. Top with Burnt Oranges and drizzle with Caramel Sauce. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
• Preheat the grill to medium. Dust the orange wedges with sugar. Grill until char marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, the corn syrup and salt. (Use a good-size pan because the caramel will boil vigorously and the volume will increase dramatically as soon as the hot cream is added.) Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture boil, without stirring, until amber colored. Watch the sugar mixture carefully as it cooks to avoid burning the sugar. From the time the mixture started to boil, it takes over 15 minutes to reach an amber color. Remove from the heat. The mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have the cream close by.
• Carefully and slowly add the warm cream to the caramel. The mixture will boil vigorously at first. Let the mixture simmer down and then whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.
• Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add to the caramel sauce, one piece at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. Whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool. Pour the caramel sauce into an airtight container such as a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. This will keep for up to a month.

ORANGE CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until deep amber color, occasionally brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes.
• Carefully add orange juice and orange peel (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until smooth and any caramel bits dissolve. Cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

BURNT ORANGE CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Have everything you need for the sauce at hand; it comes together so quickly it's best to give it your full attention.
• Remove the zest from the oranges in long thin strips with a zester (do not use rasp or peeler).
• Juice the oranges and set aside.
• Combine the zest, sugar, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan (The lemon juice helps avoid crystallization) Heat to boiling over medium heat.
• As the water and sugar melt, they will foam in large frothy bubbles.
• Never stir the caramel, but rotate the pan so the liquid moves the sugar around for even melting.
• Watch the liquid turn from clear to gold; from this point it will quickly turn to amber and burn.
• Remove the pan from the heat as soon as it appears dark gold.
• Place a mesh strainer over the pot (this prevents spattering) and add the orange juice.
• Add the butter to the pot and return to the heat.
• Add the whipping cream and stir until any remaining lumps dissolve.
• Strain to remove the zest.
• Store in the refrigerator and warm like a baby bottle- in the microwave or in a simmering pan of water.