Tag Archives: orange

Frozen Negroni

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

A perfect libation solution to cap off the end of summer on a hot 90-some degree day at a BBQ with friends—a FROZEN NEGRONI. And since the temps are going to be soaring all week in the Mid-Atlantic area, don’t miss the opportunity to indulge.

This frozen version of the classic Italian cocktail is slushy, bittersweet, and just strong enough. Preferably slurped in the sun by a pool, it starts with the traditional 1:1:1 ratio of gin, vermouth, and Campari, then gets a dose of citrusy brightness from the addition of orange juice.

OJ does double duty here, working not only to balance the drink’s flavors but also to lower its ABV—the key to creating a mixture that will stay frozen for longer than all of three minutes. The result is a smooth, refreshing cocktail that promises to be your new warm weather fave. Consider using store-bought orange juice for an extra boost of sweetness to offset the wonderfully bitter notes of Campari. Of course, a bit of orange zest is also a welcome addition.

You’ll need a blender for this recipe, and a bit of foresight—freezing the mixture in advance is an essential step for a slushy consistency. This recipe makes eight drinks, and it is recommended you make it in full (or go ahead and double it), even if you’re serving fewer people. Keep any remaining mixture stashed in your freezer for drinks on demand all season long.

For a more aromatic garnish, add a sprig of rosemary to the orange peel twist.

Frozen Negroni

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups Campari
  • 1½ cups gin
  • 1½ cups sweet vermouth
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • Orange slices (for serving)
  • Orange zest (optional)

Directions

  1. Mix 1½ cups Campari, 1½ cups gin, 1½ cups sweet vermouth, and 1 cup fresh orange juice in a pitcher to combine. Divide evenly between 2 airtight containers. Cover negroni base and freeze until semi-frozen (it won’t fully freeze because of the alcohol), at least 8 hours.
  2. When ready to serve, transfer 1 container of negroni base to a blender and add 4 cups ice. Blend on high speed until drink is thick and smooth. Divide among 4 glasses and garnish with orange slices. Repeat with remaining negroni base and another 4 cups ice if making all 8 servings, or save for another sunny day.
  3. Do Ahead: Negroni base can be made 1 month ahead. Keep frozen.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Alaina Chou for Bon Appétit

Stir-Fried Orange Beef with Scallions

Uncategorized, , , , ,

For those home cooks who look forward to a short ingredient list and a quick cooking time, but demand great taste, this recipe is for you. This stir-fried spin on Chinese Orange Beef, a perennial favorite, typically calls for deep-frying the meat; plus using a myriad of spices and techniques. But you don’t have to worry about any of that here.

The recipe uses orange marmalade to add layers of sweetness, bitterness and citrusy brightness. Five-spice powder adds to the complexity with its warm spiciness. Then the stir-fry is finished with scallions or basil to accentuate the anise notes of the five-spice. Serve with steamed white or brown rice; and perhaps a side salad if you crave more veggies.

Stir-Fried Orange Beef with Scallions

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1½ lbs. beef flat-iron steak OR boneless beef short ribs OR flap meat, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick against the grain
  • 1½ tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
  • Ground black pepper OR ground white pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. neutral oil
  • 3 Tbsp. orange marmalade
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 bunch scallions, whites and light greens cut into 1-inch lengths, dark greens chopped for garnish OR 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn if large
  • Juice from 1⁄2 orange, plus extra wedges to serve

Directions

  1. Toss the beef with the five-spice and ½ teaspoon pepper.
  2. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the beef in an even layer and cook without stirring until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir, then add the marmalade and soy sauce. Cook, stirring, until the beef is lightly glazed. Off heat, stir in the scallions and orange juice. Season with pepper and additional orange juice.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Courtney Hill for Milk Street

Roasted Fennel with Orange-Honey Dressing

Uncategorized, , , , ,

Fennel is a love it or hate it vegetable because of the intense anise flavors. But roasting the bulbous veggie helps mellow the licorice notes and turns its fibrous texture luxuriously creamy. For this roasted fennel, Cook’s Illustrated (CI) began by cutting the bulbs into wedges, which had two benefits: It provided good surface area for browning, and the attached core kept the pieces intact.

Covering the pieces with foil for most of the cooking time allowed them to steam and turn creamy; then remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of roasting so that they can turn golden and deliciously caramelized. Toss the wedges with salted water before covering them, which provides moisture for steaming and helps get seasoning between the layers.

Arranging the pieces on the long sides of a rimmed baking sheet ensures that all the pieces get equal exposure to the heat and browned evenly. However, the original recipe did not specify what size rimmed baking sheet and we used the smaller quarter sheet pan instead of a half sheet pan. Because of that, we think it took much longer for the liquid to evaporate, thus much longer for the fennel wedges to brown. In fact, we even put them under the broiler at the end for a minute or so.

The tart dressing made with orange juice and honey is the perfect complement to the sweet fennel. WOW, we practically swooned when eating it! And it was a great side dish to complement our Sear Roasted Salmon entrée, but I changed the number of servings from 4-6 to 3-4; we almost finished it off between the two of us.

CI Note: Look for fennel bulbs that measure 3½ to 4 inches in diameter and weigh around 1 pound with the stalks (12 to 14 ounces without); trim the bases very lightly so that the bulbs remain intact.

Roasted Fennel with Orange-Honey Dressing

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed of stalks (but save some fronds for garnish), bases lightly trimmed
  • 2 Tbsp. fronds chopped coarse, stalks discarded
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • ¼ tsp. pepper

Dressing

  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp. honey
  • 1 ½ tsp. white wine vinegar
  • ⅛ tsp. grated orange zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
  • Pinch kosher salt

Directions

  1. FOR THE FENNEL: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.
  2. Cut each fennel bulb lengthwise through core into 8 wedges (do not remove core). Whisk water and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Add fennel wedges to bowl and toss gently to coat. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with pepper, and toss gently to coat.
  3. Arrange fennel wedges cut side down along 2 longer sides of prepared sheet. Drizzle any water in bowl evenly over fennel wedges. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the foil from the sheet and continue to roast until side of fennel touching the sheet is browned, 5 to 8 minutes longer (this may take even longer than that), rotating sheet halfway through roasting.
  5. Flip each fennel wedge to second cut side. Continue to roast until second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes (or more) longer. Transfer to serving dish.
  6. FOR THE DRESSING: While fennel roasts, whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.
  7. Whisk dressing to recombine when ready to use. Drizzle dressing over fennel, sprinkle with fennel fronds, and serve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated