sugared oranges

a couple of weeks ago

my good friend julie

handed me

two grocery bags

stuffed full

of 

blood oranges

amazingly sweet

stunningly hued

orbs of delight

best part

they were all mine

for the past fortnight

i have been

concocting 

all sorts 

in my kitchen

first up

 sugared oranges

*to make approx 9 pint jars

(printable recipe)

blood oranges-or thin skinned oranges

(this recipe uses about 180-200 orange slices)

granulated sugar

ground ginger (optional)

6 cups granulated sugar

3 cups water

1 cup blood orange juice

2-1" knobs of fresh ginger

choose your oranges carefully.  make sure they have thin skin and that they are not so large that they will not fit into the jars you are going to preserve them in. slice the oranges in rings no thicker than 1/8" beginning at stem end.  arrange in a casserole dish in a single layer, slightly overlapping.  once you have your first layer, sprinkle sugar to lightly cover.  lightly sprinkle ground ginger on top as well (no more than 1/8 tsp per layer). continue with a second layer of oranges and repeat with the sugar and ginger. continue until you have reached your desired number of orange slices. remember to reduce the amount of syrup if you are reducing the number of oranges.

sugar and ginger the top layer of oranges, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for an hour at room temperature.  after 1 hour or up to 2 (if waiting longer than 2 hours, place in refrigerator) lightly pack your oranges into sterilized jars--each pint jar will hold approximately 20 pieces.

 make the syrup.  

place the sugar, water, blood orange juice and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat. add the leftover juices from your oranges as well.  bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup appears clear.  remove from heat.  using a ladle, spoon the hot syrup over the oranges, making sure there are no gaps of air.  use a knife to maneuver the oranges so the syrup can seep through. leave a 1/4" gap at the top of the jar.

seal the jar and process in a water bath per standard canning methods. 

for tips on canning please click here

i processed my jars for 20 minutes at high altitude, but i cannot guarantee that this method will be appropriate for your batch.

And now for the big question

what would you use these for?

well,

coming soon is a

cake recipe using sugared oranges

but you can also use for

cocktail garnish-using the syrup in the beverage

dry them in a slow oven and dip in chocolate

top cupcakes and cheesecakes

sweeten your morning yogurt

garnish grilled chicken

be imaginative

the list is endless...

preserved oranges

i hadn't yet been to morocco

when i first became seduced by tagine

meat braised into submission

in the company of

dried fruit

toasted nuts

exotic spices

and 

preserved citrus

preserved lemon 

can be plucked off the shelf 

of your favorite fancy grocery

however

i have found preserved oranges

offer a slightly sweeter note

that 

couples well with

headier spices like

cinnamon

anise

nutmeg

and

cardamom

preserved oranges are

easy to make at home

and use few ingredients

within 10 minutes

you will be transported 

to a far away land

full of culinary possibility

preserved oranges

smallish thin rind oranges

kosher salt

pink peppercorns

star anise

bay leaf

thoroughly wash and scrub the oranges removing stems.  cut into fourths without allowing the knife to cut all the way through. cut approximately 2/3rds through the fruit. generously salt the flesh of the orange  using a sterilized jar with proper fitting lid begin to press the oranges into the jar.  pour additional salt in between the layers of oranges.  periodically drop in peppercorns using no more than 10   in your entire jar. continue doing this until the jar is well packed and full.  squeeze orange juice to fill in the gaps. slide in a bay leaf and star anise.  add a bit more salt, then seal.  turn upside down on the shelf of the fridge overnight. the next day, turn it back right side up. if you see a gap, fill it with oranges, salt and orange juice. close it up and place back in the refrigerator. let "steep" for 4 weeks. these will keep for about 6 months.  rinse before using.  use as you would preserved lemons.