Vin d'Orange

I have forever loved the European custom of an aperitif. If you're not familiar with it, you can read about it on my previous post. Most recently, I tried my hand at making Vin d'Orange. I researched a gazillion recipes and tried the one I thought seemed the most authentic. I waited the requisite month of aging and .....yuck. It was weirdly slimy and pulpy and murky, not what I had in mind for a tiny afternoon tipple or a lovely spring brunch I was planning. Generally, the recipes consisted of allowing whole oranges to soak in wine and sugar about a month, then boiling the mixture, straining and adding the brandy.

So, I put on my creative hat and began again. This recipe is not as traditional, but there are a few points I think you'll like better.

1.I didn't boil the entire bottle of wine, so I am assuming you keep the majority of the alcohol intact.
2.Much fresher flavor overall, less of a "baked" taste. I also think you could add some club soda to make it sparkle.
3.The long strand of orange zest looked really fabulous suspended in the wine.
4.We drank on days 4 and finished the bottle on day 10.....I hate waiting.

So very sorry, apparently I did not photograph.....please use imagination to visualize.


VIN D’ORANGE

1 bottle (750ml) dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
Zest from 3 Oranges
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup Brandy or other spirits

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of wine, sugar and orange zest over medium heat. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine remaining wine and Brandy in a decorative pitcher or bottle.

Using a fine sieve or coffee filter, strain zest/sugar mixture and add to wine/brandy combination. Add a piece of zest if desired. Refrigerate. This will last up to 1 year in a cool place. Serve cold as an aperitif.

I packaged mine in a great, clear, flip top bottle for a bit of vintage flair, but you could also pour right back into the pinot grigio bottle and re-label!

Fresh in winter....

Sunshine, fresh oranges with leaves still attached, quince and all their possibilities.  A fine day in the midst of winter in Michigan.

Madeleines

Ahhh, not much evokes France as much as the simple madeleine, a pound cake like small cake, made in a special shell shaped pan.  I saw the sweetest mini madelein pan at the local crack dealer, oh excuse me, Williams Sonoma store.  Non-stick and just right for bite size treats.  The madelein pan was all I have dreamed of and more!!  I have a stash of dried cranberries and many oranges left from The Market's "Gifts from your Kitchen" class (candied orange peel) so I went about adapting a recipe and here is the results!

CRANBERRY ORANGE MINI MADELEINS

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
   and cooled
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting or melted white chocolate for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Using a pastry brush, heavily brush softened butter over each of the 20 molds in a mini madeleine pan, carefully buttering every ridge.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and salt. Using a wire whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat vigorously until pale, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the egg mixture and stir or beat on low speed to incorporate.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the orange zest and half of the melted butter just until blended. Fold in the remaining melted butter and dried cranberries. 

 

Bake the madeleines until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a wire rack, then rap it on the rack to release the madeleines. If any should stick, use your fingers to loosen the edges, being careful not to touch the hot pan, and invert and rap again.

Let the madeleines cool on the rack for 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops with confectioners sugar and serve. Makes 20.  If using a large madelein pan, just up the baking time about 4 minutes and I often flour the pan for easier removal.

 

I put my little bits on a gold charger and decorated it with fresh cedar and fresh cranberries and dusted the whole plate with confectioners sugar to look like snow.  It was a beautifully simple presentation and fabulous for a holiday gathering!

    Here is a bit closer view!!

 

Spring Cupcakes!

Easter gets me in the mood to fuss a bit in the kitchen and I had all those pretty pansies...so here was our Easter dessert!

If you tell me you don't like cupcakes, I know you are lying! There is something irresistible about tiny cakes with fluffy frosting, and they are small, so less guilt than that big chunk of cake. I do not care for boxed mixes, so this is a little standby recipe that makes 12 delicious, moist cupcakes and a butter cream frosting that you will eat by the spoonful (go ahead, I won't tell!)

The frosting does make a large batch and I have been unsuccessful in halving it, so I just plan to make 2 batches of cupcakes and share them with friends and family.

Pansies are edible...or go with sprinkles. I am including a list of edible flowers for this recipe or salads....they do add a bit of romance to lots of dishes!

CUPCAKES:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
7 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup self rising flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease 12 cup muffin tin or use paper cups. Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl. Add 1 egg until completely blended and then half of the flour, add remaining egg and remaining flour. Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until a batter forms. This doesn't seem like it will fill 12 cups but it will! Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.


ORANGE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING;
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
20 tablespoons butter, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar

In a small saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and orange juice. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add extract.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl, add half of orange juice mixture and combine, add to remaining orange juice mixture and mix until combined. Cool to room temperature.

Beat butter until fluffy. Beat in orange juice mixture and powdered sugar. Can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

EDIBLE FLOWERS:
Pansies
Johnny Jump Ups
Violets and violas
Nasturtiums
Roses
Lavender
Jasmine
Chamomile
Lilacs