Orange Puree Recipes

FRUIT PUREES

Steps:

• Cook 2 cups sugar with 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. For peach puree: Thaw a 16-ounce bag of frozen peaches, then puree in a blender with 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and transfer to a bottle or jar. For strawberry or blueberry puree: Thaw a 16-ounce bag of frozen berries, then puree in a blender with 1/3 cup of the sugar syrup. Strain and store in a bottle or jar. Refrigerate purees until ready to use.

ROASTED BEETS WITH CRISPY SUNCHOKES AND PICKLED ORANGE-GINGER PURéE

Steps:

• Pickled Orange-Ginger Purée:
• Place the zest strips in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then drain. Repeat this process two more times (blanching the orange zest removes any bitter flavors). Place the ginger and orange zest in a jar or heatproof container. In a saucepan, bring the lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and ¾ teaspoon salt to a boil. Pour over the ginger and orange. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The pickled ginger can be refrigerated for a couple of months.
• Drain the pickled ginger and orange and save 3 tablespoons of the pickling liquid. Add both to a blender or mini food processor, along with the olive oil, chile, and remaining 2 tablespoons salt. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the side of the blender as needed. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use. The puree can be made a couple of days ahead. (Makes about 1 cup.)
• Roasted beets:
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the beets in a baking dish (if using a mix of red and golden beets, separate them into two smaller dishes and divide the oil, vinegar, and water between the two dishes). Drizzle with the oil and add the water and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife; this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the thickness of the beets. Let the beets cool, then peel and cut into 1-inch wedges. Place each color of beet, along with any accumulated juices, into a small mixing bowl.
• Toasted cashews:
• In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the cashews and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl.
• Sunchoke chips:
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a small saucepan and add the sunchokes (there should be just enough oil to cover the sunchokes; add more oil if needed). Turn the heat to medium and stir occasionally; when the sunchokes begin to sizzle and foam, increase the temperature to high and continue frying, stirring constantly, until the sunchokes are light golden brown. At this point the sunchokes will rapidly go from golden brown to burnt, so quickly transfer the chips to paper towels to drain. Lightly season with salt. The sunchoke chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, or until they start to soften. (Makes about ½ cup.)
• For serving:
• Using a sharp knife, cut the peel and pith off the orange. Working over a bowl, cut the orange between the membranes to release the segments. Dice the segments, then return them to the bowl.
• Drizzle the beet wedges with a little bit of olive oil, season with salt, and toss.
• Spread the ginger puree on the bottom of a shallow serving bowl or plate. Arrange the beets over the puree. Sprinkle the chopped orange segments over the beets and grind some pepper over the dish. Top with the cashews, herbs, and sunchoke chips. Serve.

BLOOD ORANGE COMPOTE

Steps:

• Squeeze the juice from two oranges, strain and set aside. Remove the peel and pith from the remaining oranges. The easiest way to do this is to cut away both ends of the fruit so that it sits flat on your work surface, then using a chef's knife, utility knife or a paring knife, cut the skin and pith completely away from the fruit, following the natural curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Once peeled, remove the sections from between the membranes, holding the fruit over a bowl to catch the juice and slicing next to the connective membranes on one side of each citrus segment. Set the sections aside while you make the blood orange caramel syrup.
• Place the sugar in a medium saucepan and carefully add the water and agave nectar. With a wet pastry brush, brush down the sides of the pan. Look closely and make sure there are no stray sugar granules adhering to the pan. Brush any that you detect down into the wet sugar using the pastry brush. Turn the heat on medium and bring to a boil, watching again to make sure there are no loose sugar crystals on the sides of the pan and brushing down if necessary. Cook until the caramel is golden to amber. Swirl the pan if necessary, but do not stir, to distribute the syrup, which may be hotter and darker in one area than in another. There should be many bubbles breaking on the surface. As soon as the caramel reaches a golden color (about 325 degrees), remove from the heat. Wait until the bubbles subside, then carefully add the orange juice, being very careful to stand back, as it will bubble up. Stir the mixture with a whisk. The caramel will probably seize on the whisk (it helps to heat the whisk in hot water first). Don't worry about that, just stir and return to the heat. The caramel is very hot so resist the temptation to taste it. Heat through, whisking, until all of the seized caramel has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cointreau or Triple Sec (or other orange liqueur), vanilla, and cinnamon. Allow to cool, then pour over the oranges. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

ORANGE PUREE

Steps:

• Place the sliced veggies into a medium pot and cover with water. Boil for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Do not rush this! If the carrots aren't tender, the puree texture will not be smooth enough to go undetected.
• Drain the carrots and sweet potatoes, saving the cooking liquid.
• Use your food processor or blender and puree the vegetables into a smooth puree. Use some of the cooking water (3-4 tablespoons) to help get things moving in your food processor.
• I used the remaining cooking water as part of the pasta water to make macaroni and cheese from the blue box. I added 4 tablespoons of the orange puree to the finished dish. I also added some extra cheese. The dish was creamier than normal, but my kids didn't notice the vegetable.
• Freeze the orange puree in 1-2 tablespoon size portions (ice cube tray works well). The add 2 to 4 tablespoons into your cooking.
• Another idea is to add 2 to 4 tablespoons to spaghettios or other canned pasta. Or add up to 1/2 a cup to canned baked beans (the sweet kind). Or add up to 1/4 cup to canned tomato soup made with milk. The author suggests adding some to chile con queso (not tried). Another use is 2 to 4 tablespoons into any storebought tomato based pasta sauce.

SWEET-POTATO AND ORANGE PURéE WITH ALMOND STREUSEL

Steps:

• For streusel:
• Place all ingredients in processor in order listed. Using on/off turns, blend until small moist clumps form. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For sweet-potato puree:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Pierce potatoes in several places with fork. Place directly on oven rack and bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Transfer to rack and cool. Peel potatoes; place flesh in large bowl and mash. Mix in orange juice, sugar, butter, and orange peel. Season with salt and pepper. Butter 13x9-inch oval gratin dish. Spread puree in dish; smooth top. (Puree can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Scatter streusel over potatoes. Bake until puree is hot and streusel is crisp, about 40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then serve.