Vanilla Poached Oranges Recipes

PAVLOVA WITH VANILLA-POACHED ORANGES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Put egg whites, cornstarch, vinegar, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until foamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla.
• Spread meringue into a 10-inch round (2 inches high) on prepared sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees; bake until firm, 40 to 50 minutes. Turn off oven; let pavlova dry in oven overnight.
• To serve, spread filling over pavlova, and top with drained oranges.

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.

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.

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.

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.

CHAI-POACHED PEARS WITH SPICY ORANGE SAUCE AND HOMEMADE GRANOLA

Steps:

• Mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, honey, juice and zest of 1 orange, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili flakes, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat for the sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and bring sauce to a very low simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 3/4 cup walnuts, 3/4 cup pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds.
• Heat a skillet over to medium-high heat and melt coconut oil. Chop remaining 1/4 cup walnuts and pecans. Add chopped nuts and oats to the hot oil. Toast, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add ground nut mixture and mix until combined. Allow to toast until sugar begins to melt, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in honey and vanilla extract. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the skillet, mixing a couple times as it cools.
• Bring water to a boil in a large pot, add tea bags, remove from heat, cover, and brew tea for 8 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard. Stir 1/4 cup brown sugar into chai.
• Bring tea/water to a boil again over high heat, add pears, reduce heat, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Gently rotate pears with a spoon (pears will be soft - you don't want to puncture the skin) and continue to simmer another 15 minutes. For a stronger spice flavor, leave pears soaking in the chai for an additional 10 to 15 minutes with the heat off.
• To serve, place a heaping spoonful of coconut yogurt into the hole of the pear. Top with granola and drizzle with orange sauce. Garnish with orange zest.

FRENCH ORANGE POACHED PEARS (POIRE AVEC ORANGE)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the orange juice, brown and white sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place pears into the syrup, and cover; simmer pears for 1 hour and 15 minutes, spooning sauce over pears every 10 minutes, and turning pears over twice during cooking time.
• Transfer pears to individual serving dishes. Continue cooking the syrup, stirring often, until thickened, about 15 more minutes, then mix in the walnuts. Pour the sauce over the pears to serve.

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.

CREME FRAICHE FILLING FOR PAVLOVA WITH VANILLA-POACHED ORANGES

Steps:

• Beat cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold in creme fraiche.

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.

POACHED PEARS WITH ORANGE CREAM

Steps:

• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears; cut 1/4 in. from bottom to level if necessary. Place pears on their sides in a large saucepan. Add water, wine, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, turning once, until pears are almost tender, 35-40 minutes. (For more intense flavor and color, leave fruit in cooking liquid and refrigerate overnight.), Meanwhile, combine sour cream, confectioners' sugar, orange zest and extract. Refrigerate until serving., Remove pears with a slotted spoon; pat dry and, if warm, cool to room temperature. Discard cooking liquid. Place pears on dessert plates. Serve with orange cream; if desired, top with additional grated orange zest.