If after a party or a dinner party you still have a whole variety of oranges cut in circles, do not rush to despair or eat up everything in a hurry. You can make a great dessert for tea - caramelized oranges. Of course, this delicacy can be prepared on occasion.
Dessert known since the Middle Ages
In Spain, ripe oranges will not surprise anyone. Therefore, back in the Middle Ages, local Moors experimented with slices of fruit. So there were candied fruits, and caramelized oranges. Soon the recipe became known to the French, then spread throughout Europe, and then around the world. Did you know that in medieval recipes honey was used instead of sugar? Thus, the dessert acquires a longer shelf life.
Caramelized Oranges: Brown Sugar Recipe
To prepare this dessert, you will need the following ingredients:
- medium-sized oranges - 1 kilogram;
- brown sugar - 400 grams;
- water - half a glass.
Rinse the fruits and cut them into circles no more than half a centimeter wide. For the process itself we will need a deep frying pan. If you do not know how to caramelize oranges, we will give you detailed instructions. A layer of brown sugar should be distributed along the bottom of the pan, then a layer of oranges should be laid out. Alternate the sequence again. Sprinkle the second layer of oranges with brown sugar again .
Now all this fruit and sugar splendor must be filled with water. Spread the water evenly around the edges of the pan. Turn on the gas and simmer the dessert under the lid over moderate heat for two hours. Do not forget to check the state of caramelization. If it seems to you that the water has completely boiled away, you can add a little liquid. After the cooking time is up, remove the circles with a slotted spoon and lay them out on a flat plate.
Caramelized oranges are not only suitable as an independent dessert for tea or coffee. They can decorate homemade cakes and pastries. Tip: if you want to get slices of equal thickness, use a vegetable slicer or a grater for slices.
Using dark chocolate
The following recipe will amaze you with an amazing combination of flavors. In order to prepare caramelized oranges in chocolate, you will need the following ingredients:
- medium-sized oranges - 5 pieces;
- granulated sugar - 550 grams;
- dark chocolate - 150 grams;
- vanillin - one bag;
- water for syrup - 300 ml.
Cooking method
First, cut the oranges into thin circles. Again, you can use a vegetable slicer or a nozzle for slices on a multifunctional grater. Small circles are better not to use. If you do not like the bitterness of the zest, you can pour the prepared slices with boiling water for a couple of minutes. This time is enough to give a characteristic bitter taste to hot water. However, after this procedure, do not forget to thoroughly dry. Put a wide plate with a towel, put orange slices on it, and cover with a towel again on top.
It’s time to make the syrup. To do this, take a deep pan or stewpan of the appropriate diameter. As you already know, you can use a frying pan for these purposes. Add sugar, add vanillin, as well as water. Stir the resulting composition with a wooden spoon or spatula. Heat to a consistency until sugar crystals are completely dissolved.
It's time to lay out citrus circles. Boil the mixture over moderate heat for an hour and a half. Do not forget to check the condition of the bottom of the vessel with a wooden spoon. Also remember that the slices cannot languish on one side, so turn them over using cooking metal tongs. The readiness of oranges can be judged by the white layer between the zest and fruit pulp. If it has become translucent, then it is time to remove the slices from the vessel.
Send circles to the oven
Further, according to this recipe, caramelized oranges should spend some time in the oven. Carefully put the circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and send them to the slightly preheated oven for 20 minutes. The temperature in the oven should not exceed 110 degrees. In fact, caramelized circles go to dry.
We drown chocolate in a water bath
At this time, take two deep enameled or tin vessels of different diameters and place them in each other. Pour a small amount of water into the lower (wider) container, and fill the upper with slices of dark chocolate. Turn on a slow fire. Soon you will see how chocolate began to melt. You can mix the chocolate mass from time to time until all the slices have melted.
Decor
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, take the tongs and dip each circle in melted chocolate exactly half. Place the finished slices on a plate lined with baking paper in one layer. There is nothing complicated in this procedure, just be patient. When the slices are completely cooled, the chocolate will harden. To speed up the cooling process, you can put the dish with oranges in the refrigerator.
If you wish, you can experiment with white chocolate. The original caramelized oranges are obtained. You can also use them as a decoration for a cake.
Have a nice tea party!