Making Fresh Orange Juice

I'm in California now so I thought it would be fitting to write a post about fresh orange juice.

Want to know a secret to making beautiful and delicious and fresh Orange Juice?  You don't have to use only "juice" oranges to make it.  Juice oranges by the way, are the ugly oranges at the grocers. They are meant for squeezing.  For a unique flavor and color, I mix in other varieties.

I used:

12 juice oranges - your basic orange orange when sliced open

2  blood red oranges - a rich red meaty looking pulp

2  Cara-Cara orange - new orange, pink on the inside and so juicy. can be eaten on its own like a navel orange.

 I always wash the oranges first - because god knows who has been touching them along the way to the grocer's refrigerated section.  Once all are sliced in half I start the juicing process with my well-used Braun juicer.

There are lots of different oranges out there you can also use:

tangerines  

temple   (These have a funny nob on one end)

valencia 

navel

 I  add the blood oranges when I can find them. It's got a meaty pulp and it has a certain tang to it that takes the edge off the sweetness of the juice oranges.  An added bonus is the beautiful red pulp that makes the mix of orange juice look so good and refreshing.   For more on the different varieties check out this link at my citrus tree.

left: virgin juice   right: blood orange added 

I find it only lasts 2 days maximum. Any longer and it gets a funny taste- still drinkable but never as good as the day you squeeze it.

Now go out and buy yourself some oranges and get juicing people!!

P.S. It's killing me here... Everywhere I go there is some lemon tree just sitting in someone's front yard. The fragrance is crazy good you just have to stop, breathe it in and enjoy the moment.

Popovers for Brunch?

I hate coming up with menus....    How do I balance greenery vs. starch vs. protein vs. the rich factor?  I recently made popovers which are always a hit.   I decided to record it here as a reminder and put it out there for others who don't want to think too much about a menu.

 First let's talk Popovers I use a recipe from 1000 Best Recipes.  It is very important to stick to the recipe and in particular, the waiting times.  A real chemical reaction is taking place and you want those popovers to just spilleth over their cup!   If the batter (must be smooth and bubbly)  sits at room temperature for at least 30 minutes you are good to go.

Get yourself a popover pan for best results and fill half way.

See the popover effect?

Results: a crispy, fluffy popover that impresses every time!

Adapted from The New Best Recipe by the editors of Cook's Illustrated

The Ingredients:

 2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted  (just barely in the microwave otherwise you face explosion)
1 tbsp vegetable oil ( I prefer canola)

1. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and whole milk together until well combined about 20 seconds
2. In a medium bowl whisk together all dry ingredients: flour and salt.
3. Combine dry ingredients and eggs and whole milk mixture until just combined and lumpy.
4. Add somewhat cooled-off melted butter and whisk until the batter is smooth and little bubbles rise to the top. This should take about 30 seconds.
5. LET BATTER SIT AT ROOM TEMP FOR 1/2 HOUR - This is when and where the magic (and the chemical reaction) happens!

While that is burbling:
1. Set oven to 450 degrees and move oven rack to lowest position.
2. Using a popover pan, fill each cup with 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil (see photo above) swirl around the oil as best you can.
3. Place in oven in order to get that pan and the oil piping hot.

Once batter has rested 30 minutes,
1. Pour into a pitcher (makes about 2 cups).
2. Take pan out of oven and quickly pour batter evenly into each popover cup. Aim for the middle of the cup so that oil surrounds batter as you pour it in.  This way less likely to stick to the pan...
3.


As a main course I use the Tomato Zucchini Fritatta recipe from one of my favorite publications ( of the Martha Stewart variety) Food Magazine,  a fruit salad, usually red berries and lemon juice and to top it off fresh fresh orange juice...

And orange juice doesn't have to be just Florida juice oranges...  I experiment with all kinds of combos but my fave is mixxing juice oranges, cara cara oranges, tangerines and one or two blood oranges to add a little tang to the juice. It is the most beautiful red orange juice and sooo delicious.

Thanks for visiting! Use the RSS feed or e-mail subscription to keep up to date on what's happening on this site.

Welcome back! We're glad you enjoy our writing. If you especially like a particular article, please consider casting a Digg vote. Thanks!

Strawberry Fields,

I've been AWOL on my blog for the past too many months but I'm getting back on the blog trail.... and here 's the latest....

Strawberries turn up in the funniest places:

Strawberry Banke Museum

 Freckle Face Strawberry

Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry Shortcake (as in the cartoon)
Strawberry Shortcake plain and simple

But you can also find them in your own backyard... Not exactly my  backyard but Long Island in the Hamptons!

little hands holding little strawberries...

Confession: These photos were taken last summer and somehow never made it to the blog.  I missed picking season this summer but I'm determined to catch it next summer!!

  I plan on making a pectin-free version of strawberry jam using the recipe from the book Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders.   I had some of her jam at Tiny's Restaurant and it was honestly the best tasting jam...

Nothing prettier than a strawberry patch....

An Easy Plum Cake for Fall

Hi there,

Looking for an easy delicious dessert for the Fall season.  This one is excellent.  
The  recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine :

This is before pouring in the shortcake dough:

And this is after baking and flipping the cake onto a cake plate
:

The recipe calls for one plum but I used two. It's like a plum version of Tarte Tatin the French upside down apple cake made in a cast iron frying pan... caramelized fruit is delish!

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the cake on a cake stand (of course the people at Martha thought to do that) but that's one of those things on my wish list... have never gotten one.

This recipe was super easy and so satisfying aesthetically and taste-wise. It really turned out exactly as pictured in Food Magazine!  It looks impressive and is so easy. A perfect sweet for Fall.

Note: The recipe calls for buttermilk so for a brief moment I thought of substituting the dough with a bisquik shortbread recipe.  So glad I didn't. The cake had a beautiful texture and melts in the mouth.  I also refrained from adding orange zest and poppy seeds which are probably a nice-to-have but I didn't want to get guff from the peanut gallery here...