Poached Oranges Food

POACHED ORANGES WITH CANDIED ZEST AND GINGER

Steps:

• Peel ginger and halve crosswise. Cut pieces lengthwise into 1/16-inch-thick slices, then cut slices into 1/8-inch-wide julienne strips and transfer to a 2-quart heavy saucepan.
• Remove zest from 3 oranges in long wide strips with a vegetable peeler, removing any white pith from zest with a paring knife, and add to ginger in pan. Fill pan three-fourths full with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, then drain in a sieve. Return zest and ginger to pan and refill with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Drain zest and ginger. Repeat simmering with more cold water for another 10 minutes, then drain.
• Bring 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, and salt to a boil in saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add zest and ginger and gently simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until zest and ginger are completely translucent and syrup is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain candied zest and ginger in a sieve, discarding syrup.
• Meanwhile, cut 1/2 inch from top and bottom of all oranges with a sharp knife, exposing fruit at both ends. Cut peel and pith from sides (leaving no white parts) with paring knife, trimming fruit if large (but retaining orange shape) to 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches wide at middle. Discard trimmings.
• Bring wine, orange juice, 1/2 cup Grand Marnier, and remaining cup sugar to a boil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil 3 minutes. Add oranges, arranging in 1 layer, and simmer, covered with a tight-fitting lid, 10 minutes. Transfer oranges with a slotted spoon to a serving dish, inverting them (so syrup coats oranges). Add candied zest and ginger to syrup and boil over moderate heat, uncovered, until syrup is thickened and mixture is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier.
• When oranges are cool enough to handle, cut each crosswise into thirds on a cutting board, then reassemble "whole" in serving dish. Spoon zest mixture, including syrup, over oranges, arranging zests and ginger decoratively over them. Chill oranges in serving dish until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Just before serving, spoon syrup in dish over oranges to coat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

MOSCATO POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Combine the wine, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, cloves, orange zest, and lemon zest in a large (10 to 11-inch diameter) pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and peaches to the simmering liquid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the fruit is tender and the liquid is reduced. (Not to worry if the figs are less tender; you don't want to overcook the rest of the fruit.) Remove and discard the cloves.
• Off the heat, stir in the cherries and allow the fruit to cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Reheat and serve warm or at room temperature with poaching liquid and a dollop of crème fraiche.

PERFECT POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place the vin santo, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, and zests in a large, shallow saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact, and scoop out the seeds from the bottom with an apple corer or melon baller. Lay half the pears on their sides in the poaching liquid and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once with a spoon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the remaining pears in the same liquid. Snip off the hard stems from the figs with scissors. Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and the first batch of poached pears and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes, until the pears and the dried fruit are all tender.
• Chill the pears, dried fruit, zests, and poaching liquid. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean before serving if you like.

ITALIAN POACHED ORANGES

Steps:

• Strip the zest from the oranges with a vegetable peeler, making sure not to peel away any of the white pith. Cut the zest into 1/8-inch shreds with a sharp knife. Place shredded zest in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over low heat. Drain zest, discard cooking water and place zest in a bowl; cover zest with cold water and set aside.
• Combine the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan, bring it to a boil and cook the syrup until it thickens slightly about 3 minutes.
• While the syrup is cooking, peel the oranges to expose the flesh. Lower the heat on the syrup and cook the oranges 1 or 2 (they should be submerged in the syrup--if not, switch to a smaller saucepan) at a time for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the oranges from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place in a serving bowl.
• Add the shredded zest to the syrup and cook the zest for two minutes, or until the zest is translucent. Remove the zest from the syrup and scatter over the oranges. Chill the oranges and sprinkle with orange liqueur just before serving.

BASIL POACHED ORANGES AND GRAPEFRUIT

Steps:

• Using a very sharp knife, peel the grapefruit and oranges, discarding the skins (be sure to remove all of the white pith). Slice the fruit into 1/4-inch rounds, removing pits as you go. Set aside in a medium non-reactive bowl.
• In a medium non-reactive pan, combine the water, sugar, lemon juice. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean to the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Thinly slice 6 of the basil leaves and toss over the citrus rounds.
• Remove liquid from heat and strain over the citrus and basil. Refrigerate until chilled.
• Serve the chilled fruit and liquid over lemon sorbet or vanilla ice cream. Garnish with fresh basil.

VANILLA-POACHED ORANGES

Steps:

• Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Stir in vanilla and oranges. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

COLD CANDIED ORANGES

Steps:

• Bring a stainless-steel pot of water to a boil. (It should be large enough to hold the oranges submerged.)
• Wash and dry the oranges, and channel from stem to navel at 1/2-inch intervals, removing strips of peel while leaving the pith intact, until the oranges resemble those onion domes on Russian churches. (You need a good, sharp channeler, not a tiny-toothed zester for this one.)
• Place the oranges and their long, fat threads of channeled peel into the boiling water, and reduce to a simmer. Cover the oranges with a lid one size too small for the pot, to keep them submerged. Let them blanch for about 25 minutes to remove the harshest edge of their bitter nature. They should swell and soften but not collapse or split.
• Remove the oranges and zest from the simmering water with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Dump out the blanching water, and return the dry pot to the stove.
• In that same pot, combine the sugar with 6 cups water; bring the sugar water to a boil over medium-high, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then allow to gently boil, and reduce for 10 minutes, uncovered. You want some water to evaporate and for the syrup to take on a little body.
• Carefully place blanched oranges and zest into the sugar syrup, and reduce heat to a very slow, lethargic simmer. Cover oranges with a parchment circle cut slightly larger than the circumference of the pot (by 1 inch is enough), then place the too-small lid on top of the parchment on top of the oranges, to keep them fully submerged (and sealed under the parchment) in the sluggishly simmering syrup.
• Cook the oranges in the syrup for about 45 minutes, checking on them frequently to keep the temperature quite slow and stable, until they take on a high gloss and appear vaguely translucent and jewel-like. (We have several induction burners that come with features that can hold a temperature, and I leave the oranges at around 170 degrees for most of the candying, sometimes with a little bump up to 180. But without a thermometer or an induction burner, just a visual slow, slow, slow bubble is a good cue.)
• Cool oranges and peels in their syrup for a full 24 hours before serving. This kind of "cures" them. They get even better after 48 hours. First, you'll want to let them cool at room temperature until no longer warm to the touch, at least 4 hours, then refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled. The oranges last refrigerated for 1 month as long as they are submerged in that syrup.
• Serve very cold. Eat the whole thing, skin and all, with a knife and fork. It's like a half glacéed fruit and half fresh fruit - refreshing, tonic, digestive and so great after dinner.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Peel and dice fruit. Place Riesling in saucepan, add sugar, basil and fruit. Simmer slowly until fruit is tender. Cool and serve over ice cream.

POACHED ORANGES

Steps:

• Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, removing all the white membrane. Cut the oranges into half-inch> to three-quarter-inch-thick slices. Place the slices in a saucepan with the sugar and water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for five minutes.
• Carefully remove the orange slices from the syrup and place them in a serving dish. Cook the syrup to reduce it to approximately a half cup and pour it over the oranges.
• When cool or at serving time, sprinkle the oranges with the Grand Marnier. Decorate by placing the mint sprig in the center.

POACHED PLUMS

Steps:

• To prepare the plums: wash and cut them into quarters, then remove the stones.
• Tip the sugar into a pan with 225ml water, the cinnamon and vanilla. Gently heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Slide the fruit into the syrup. Bring the pan to the boil, then let it simmer for 5-10 mins - depending on the ripeness - until the plums are soft. Leave to cool slightly and serve as they are with something creamy.

CITRUS POACHED ORANGE ROUGHY

Steps:

• Cut fish into 4-6 serving-size pieces.
• Combine orange juice, water and wine in large skillet. Bring to boil.
• Add fish pieces and return to a boil,then reduce heat to simmer.
• Simmer 7 or 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer fish to warm serving platter.
• Mix melted butter and cilantro. Drizzle over fish. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish platter with orange, lime and lemon slices.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, and 5 cups water. Place over medium heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Gently place nectarines in the liquid. Add more water if needed to cover nectarines. Place a square of cheesecloth over the fruit, and top with a small plate to keep fruit submerged.
• Increase heat to high, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until nectarines are tender but not soft, about 5 minutes. Remove nectarines from liquid, and allow to cool
• Return liquid to a boil, and cook until reduced to a syrup that will coat the back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool.
• Cut nectarines in half, and remove pit. Place two halves on serving plate. Drizzle with syrup. Top each half with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of mint.