Mandarin Orange Sorbet
This is one of those dishes that is so simple, but so tasty. In the end, its just frozen mandarin oranges, blended up in a food processor until creamy. You can add some sugar, if you like, and a little vanilla. then finish off with a pinch of salt.
I served this sorbet to some friends after dinner the other night and they loved it. The color is beautiful and the flavor is refreshing. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it would taste like an elevated version of a creamsicle. I could see adding a scoop to a cold drink on a hot summer day. But it is good enough to serve all on its own.
I make a lot of fruit based sorbets. An abundance of mandarins were my inspiration for this one. I needed to use them in something!! I will certainly play around with adding other flavors or perhaps adding some zest next time. I already have frozen more mandarins to use later.
For now, I am very pleased with this simple and flavorful dessert. Here is how I made it.
Mandarin Orange Sorbet
10-12 mandarin oranges
1-2 T. sugar, optional or to taste
1 t. vanilla, optional
Pinch of salt
Peel and freeze the mandarins. Once frozen, place them in a food processor and process until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Taste and see if you want to add a little sugar. Sweeten to taste and add the vanilla, also optional, and just a pinch of salt. Combine well then return to the freezer until you are ready to serve it. Makes about 1 pint.
Orange Tea Bread
Winter is citrus season and I have been eating a lot of oranges lately. Besides eating them fresh, I also like to cook with oranges. If you are looking for a new recipe for a quick bread, I would recommend trying this one.
The bread is flavored with orange zest in the batter, then a warm orange syrup is drizzled over the bread, right out of the oven. This makes for a bread that is flavorful and moist. It can be breakfast, a brunch dish or even a dessert, when topped with ice cream or whipped cream. The recipe makes one loaf, but I often double the recipe and make two. It seems to disappear around here pretty quickly. The bread freezes well, too.
Orange Tea Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Syrup:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×4″ loaf pan. Line pan with wax paper or parchment and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, butter and orange zest. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir mixture until well combined. Transfer batter to loaf pan, smoothing top, and bake in oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. While the bread is baking, combine orange juice and sugar in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat while stirring, and simmer for 1 minute. Keep syrup warm. Make holes in top of bread with a thin wooden skewer and drizzle with syrup. Let stand in pan until cool. Makes 1 loaf.
