CELEBRATE ORANGE TEA TIME

Add a little citrus to your tea time event with different varieties of oranges from navels to clementines.  Packed with vitamin C, oranges are the most popular fruit and have two flavor profiles – “bitter” and “sweet.”  Choose an orange with smooth skin and firmer texture and remember the smaller oranges tend to be juicer!

            Naval - seedless and sweet, great for eating
            Cara Cara – super sweet with bitter tang, great in a salad
            Valencia – sweet with a little tartness, great for juice
            Blood – tart, unique taste, great for pairing with food
            Tangerine – sweet and tart, great for “juicy” tasting
            Clementine – sweet and seedless, great for eating and salads

Oranges pair well with basil, chipotle peppers, chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, ginger, mangoes, olives, pecans, strawberries and vanilla.

In addition to the food, carry the theme throughout by highlighting oranges and the color orange in centerpieces . . . 

 . . . and even the napkins. 

Choose from these recipes to celebrate orange!

SALAD

BABY-BLUE SALAD
16oz mixed spring salad greens
6oz crumbled blue cheese
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 pint sliced fresh strawberries
1 1/2c Sweet-n-Spice Pecans
            Combine ½c sugar and 3c warm water to dissolve, then add 3c pecans and soak 10 minutes. Drain. Combine 1/4c sugar and 2Tbs chili powder, add pecans and toss to coat. Place pecans in a single layer on slightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once. Cool.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
            Whisk together 1/2c balsamic vinegar, 3Tbs Dijon mustard, 3Tbs honey, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 minced shallots, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually whisk in 1c olive oil, blending well.

            Toss together salad ingredients and drizzle with vinaigrette.

ORANGE-FLAVORED VINAIGRETTE: Substitute orange juice for a portion of the vinegar in your favorite salad dressing and serve over spinach with sliced fresh strawberries and toasted sliced almonds.

SAVORIES

CITRUS BRUSCHETTA
1 french baguette
2 oranges, peeled and diced
2Tbs olive oil
1c chopped ripe tomatoes
1/4c chopped fresh basil
2Tbs minced red onion
1 finely minced garlic clove
1/3c chopped pitted calamata olives
Goat cheese

Cut baguette into 1/4-inch slices, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake at 400 degrees for about 5-7 minutes, or until toasty.  Cool. Combine remaining ingredients except cheese and season with pinch of red pepper flakes and sea salt.  Just before serving, spread each crostini with 1Tbs goat cheese and top with drained mixture.

ORANGE SPREAD TEA SANDWICHES
1-8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4c fresh orange juice
1tsp orange zest
1Tbs honey
1/4c chopped dried cranberries
1/4c chopped toasted walnuts
            Combine cream cheese, juice, zest and honey until smooth, then add cranberries, walnuts and a pinch of salt.  Spread between 2 bread slices, remove crust and cut into 4 triangles.

MANDARIN CHICKEN SALAD TEA SANDWICHES
1-80z cream cheese
1tsp curry powder
juice of a mandarin orange
2c cooked chicken
1/2c shredded red cabbage
1 chopped green onion
1/4c diced celery
1/4c roasted chopped cashews
1 mandarin orange, peeled and chopped
            Mix together cream cheese, curry powder and juice, then mix in remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.   Make sandwiches with multigrain bread, remove crusts and cut into 4 triangles.

SCONES

CRANBERRY-ORANGE SCONES: Combine 2 c flour, 1/3 c sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt in a mixing bowl.  Cut in 8Tbs butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add 1tsp orange peel and 1/2c dried cranberries.  Combine an egg and 1/2c yogurt until well blended, and then add to dry ingredients until they are moistened.  Knead on floured surface until dough holds together.  Divide dough in half and pat out each into a 1/2 inch thick circle and cut into 6-8 wedges.  Place on greased baking sheet, brush with yogurt and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 mins or until golden brown.

ORANGE MAPLE BUTTER: Combine 1 stick butter, 1Tbs fresh orange juice, 1tsp orange zest, 1Tbs maple syrup and 1/4tsp sea salt and refrigerate for up to a week.

EASY BLOOD ORANGE CURD: Combine zest of 3 blood oranges and 1/2c fresh blood orange juice in a 4-cup microwave safe bowl.  Whisk in 3 eggs, 2/3c sugar and 1/2c melted butter until well blended.  Heat in microwave for 1 minute then whisk again and repeat 3 times so that it has cooked a total of 4 minutes.  The curd will thicken and puff as it cooks.  Cover and chill in fridge where it will keep for a week

SWEETS

ORANGE–CHOCLATE BROWNIES: Make your favorite brownie recipe and substitute orange juice for any liquid plus add at least 3 oranges worth of orange zest and 1/2c semi-sweet chocolate chips.

ORANGE TEA CAKES: Combine 1 yellow cake mix with 3/4c orange juice, 3/4c plain yogurt, 3Tbs orange zest and whisk until just mixed. Pour into greased mini muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins.  Turn upside down and drizzle with orange curd.

ORANGETTES: Slice ends off four oranges, score the peel from one end to the other, and remove the peels from the oranges and slice into thin strips. Place peels in boiling water to blanch for a few minutes, then rinse peels, and repeat this process a second time to remove bitterness.
            Prepare simple syrup by combining 1/2c water with 1/2c sugar, bring to a simmer and then add peels and simmer 1 hour, checking often to make sure water has not boiled off!  Remove, place on rack to cool.
            Melt 16oz dark chocolate and dip candied peels in, let cool on parchment paper and then store in an airtight container.

ORANGE COCONUT BALLS: Mix 2pkg crushed graham crackers, 1lb powdered sugar, 6oz can orange juice concentrate, 1 stick melted butter and 1/2c chopped nuts and set aside for 10 minutes.  Roll into 1 inch balls and then roll in coconut.

TEA

ORANGE TEA: Boil orange rinds in water and then use to prepare your favorite tea.

"If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen"
1 Peter 4:11