Citrus with Orange Caramel

"Making fruit-based caramel sauces is something I learned from Lindsey Shere at Chez Panisse. Because you don't quite recognize it - is it fruit or is it caramel? - it's a beguiling sauce for this dish and others like ice creams, custards, rice or semolina puddings, and Swedish cream. As for the citrus, mix and match, using such fruits as blood oranges, tangelos and Cara Caras, but be sure to include some - or even all - blood oranges for their lush color and berrylike flavor. Blood orange juice, even just a little, deepens the sauce to a burnished red. Having your knife razor-sharp makes peeling oranges a snap." - Deborah Madison, Seasonal Fruit Desserts

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove a wide band of the zest from the 1 orange and slice into thin strips. Boil for 1 minute, then drain and set aside. Peel the rest of the fruits, cut them into rounds, and put them in a bowl.

Melt the sugar over medium heat in a light-colored skillet, stirring often until it turns a rich but not too dark caramel color. Standing back from the pan, pour in the juice. It will bubble ferociously, and the caramel will clench into a knot, but don't worry. Add the reserved orange zest, cinnamon stick, and clove. Continue cooking and after about 5 minutes the caramel will have dissolved.

Add the orange-flower water, slide in the fruits and swish them around, then pour the fruits and sauce into a bowl. Serve chilled or at room temperature, garnished with a handful of pomegranate seeds and/or sprigs of mint.

  PRINT VERSION