# ISO ideas using blood oranges



## HistoricFoodie (Feb 4, 2012)

Made a blood orange gastrique, the other night, to go with some pan fried cod.

It occurs to me that the season's going to run out on blood oranges, soon, and I'd like to take advantage of them while they last. Anyone else got a recipe or three using blood oranges?


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## Steve Kroll (Feb 4, 2012)

I love blood oranges and have been buying them like crazy for the last few weeks. I mostly like them plain or segmented and added to salads. Last year I made a blood orange sorbet from a recipe I found online, but I'll be darned if I can find it again. As I recall, it was simple - blood orange juice, water, and sugar.

I'll dig around a little more.


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 4, 2012)

That sounds good, Steve. If you can find it I'd appreciate it. 

I have a Moroccan orange salad that uses them, too, if you want it.

Normally, this time of year, I try and buy bunches of them. What I don't use immediately I juice, then put the juice in the fridge. 

That works for some things (my gastrique, for instance). But does't satisfy my desire for segments. 

How come we can put a lander on Mars but can't grow a blood orange in the summer. 

BTW, when the season runs out, about the closest to blood oranges are tangerines; at least for cooking purposes.


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## TATTRAT (Feb 5, 2012)

Everything from salad dressing, to my all time fave variation of a Mojito. A Blood Orange mojito is nothing short of amazing, imo.

Also, a salad of Blood Orange Supremes, blanched beet, thin sliced red onion, and some chèvre crumbles is a nice "Summer" salad.


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 5, 2012)

Thanks, Tattrat.

That salad sounds tasty. But, visually, isn't it a little unidimentional?


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## Hoot (Feb 5, 2012)

This was posted here a while back. I have not been able to locate any blood  oranges in this neck of the woods, but I still aim to try it one of  these days.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f20/blood-orange-mac-and-cheese-71288.html


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 5, 2012)

Well, that was interesting, Hoot. Thanks for the link.

Personally, citrus and mac & cheese aren't two flavors that I would pair. But each to his own, I reckon.


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## taxlady (Feb 5, 2012)

What is special about blood oranges other than the weird colour?


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 5, 2012)

In addition to the *gorgeous *color, they have a distinct flavor of their own. 

It always amuses me how we accept what we're used to as being normal, and see variations as strange. You don't think there's anything weird, for instance, about orange fruit? Or red tomatoes? Or....well, you get the idea.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 5, 2012)

taxlady said:


> What is special about blood oranges other than the weird colour?



They have a nice sort of orange/raspberry flavor.  

I always look for them right at Christmas time in my area.  

I have never done anything with them other than eat them out of hand or make a champagne cocktail for brunch.


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## taxlady (Feb 5, 2012)

HistoricFoodie said:


> In addition to the *gorgeous *color, they have a distinct flavor of their own.
> 
> It always amuses me how we accept what we're used to as being normal, and see variations as strange. You don't think there's anything weird, for instance, about orange fruit? Or red tomatoes? Or....well, you get the idea.



No, I don't think red is a weird colour for tomatoes, but it is for an orange.


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## CraigC (Feb 5, 2012)

We could plant a blood orange here, but the climate is such that all we'll ever get is an orange colored, blood orange.

Craig


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 5, 2012)

_No, I don't think red is a weird colour for tomatoes, but it is for an orange. _

I rest my case. Until the latter part of the 19th century, yellow was the most common tomato color. Originally, all tomatoes were yellow. Then the smooth, round, red tomato became the industry standard. So we now think of tomatoes as being red, and other colors (there actually are 7 of them) as being weird.

In the late 18 and early 19th centuries, orange carrots were the least favored, with yellow, red, and purple ones preferred. Now we see purple carrots as kind of strange. 
All I'm saying is that we have been socialized, by government edict and industry standards, to expect certain things about our foodstuffs. But those standards are no more nor less natural, more nor less weird, than other forms. We're just not used to seeing them.


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## Katie H (Feb 5, 2012)

I, too, really like blood oranges.  And, as someone else already mentioned, they have a lovely raspberry-like flavor.  I have several recipes using them and will have to do a little searching to find them.  Give me some time.

As for our preconceptions about what food should look like, part of the discussion within this thread reminds me of some off the my birth mother's beliefs.

She thought herself somewhat a little "better" than others and when we moved to a very country and rural area that was a bit much for her to take.  However, since it was a farming region, our foods were nothing short of fantastic.  Ample and fresh.  My daddy was a doctor and frequently was paid in sides of meat and produce by his poor patients.  We ate WELL.

At any rate, my mother would never eat yellow tomatoes because tomatoes are supposed to be RED.  No wax beans either.  Everyone knows beans are GREEN.  White corn was out of the question because...you guessed it.  Corn is YELLOW.  There were other examples and I never ever understood her reasoning.  Needless to say, the rest of the family ate her share.

I can't imagine what she'd say about blood oranges.

Speaking of which, I'll check my recipes for more ways for you to enjoy them.


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 5, 2012)

_Corn is YELLOW_

Slightly OT, Katie, but part of my presentation at the living history museum goes into the differences between white and yellow corn. 

With one exception, they prefer yellow in the northern colonies, while white has always been the choice in the south. And the reason: Strictly fashion.

If somebody came down here from, say, New Jersey, toting a sack of meal, and used my mama's cornbread recipe, the texture and taste would be the same. Of course, we'd laugh at them anyway, cuz day-glo cornbread don't make it down heah. 

But the fact is, we all have food biases, and many of them are based strictly on what we are used to.


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## taxlady (Feb 5, 2012)

Food that is an unexpected colour is worth a heads up. It might not be what you would otherwise expect. Here in Quebec almost all the corn on the cob is pale yellow and white for the past few years. They call it "peaches and cream corn". I think it's awful. It's far too sweet. I like the darker yellow stuff I can only buy frozen nowadays.

Personally, I like colourful food. It's pretty and often has more micro-nutrients.


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## Claire (Feb 5, 2012)

I like the looks of thin slices of blood orange with very thin slices of red onion or shallots.  A little vinegarette.  Very pretty presentation.


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## elessing (Feb 21, 2012)

My blood orange tree went crazy this year! I am now looking for recipes that I can put in cans to enjoy throughout the year, any ideas? I have found a marmalade recipe, does anyone know if I could can a Gastrique recipe? My trees are starting to get too big for my family to eat during the season so I am trying to learn how to can... Thanks


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Feb 21, 2012)

Google *bobby flay + blood oranges *and you will recieve aan abundance of valubale recipes using blood oranges


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## purple.alien.giraffe (Feb 21, 2012)

I love mixing blood orange juice with a touch of lime and some olive oil to make a dressing for over salad.


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## Cerise (Feb 21, 2012)

Salad sounds good to me.  Spinach, Blood oranges, avocado,thinly-sliced red onion, pecans or walnuts, blue cheese or feta.  How about an Asian-inspired dish like orange chicken - not the breaded/battered fried version.  I had an old recipe for Chinese Tangerine (whole) chicken with oranges, soy sauce & ginger. Chinese chicken salad & Orange sesame beef come to mind.


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## Siegal (Feb 22, 2012)

I have a recipe for blood orange creme brule that I never made bc I always forget when they are in season. IM ON IT this year!


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