Orange Lanterns and Candied Orange-Chili Walnuts

In the beginning of October, I came across this photo circulating the Organic boards on Facebook and in Pintrest.

Here you can see the end product looks beautiful. I thought these would be perfect centerpieces for my November International Dinner on France.

But how do you get from step 1 to 3? What to do with all of the juice and pulp? I juiced my oranges using a glass juicer and then scraped the insides out smoothly, dumping the pith and pulp into a glass measuring cup.

I squeezed the extra juice from the mass using the back of a spoon. I used an aluminum pipe about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and used the sharp end to cut two holes, one in each half, so the it would sit flat on the plate and so the heat of the candle would not burn the fruit's skin.

With future lanterns I'll make the top hole larger as they started to scorch after an hour, as the skin dried out.

Here is the aftermath. A delectable three course supper completely decimated. Notice the missing caps, but people didn't mind and rather enjoyed the brighter light.


The juice ended up being used to make the slightly spicy candied orange-chili walnuts.



The recipe: 2 oranges worth of juice, 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tbls olive oil, 2 tsp red pepper flakes, 8 oz halved walnuts.

Set out a well oiled cookie sheet.

On high heat, cook the nuts in the mix until the liquid thickens and bubbles and darkens, using a lightly oiled silicon scraper to stir the nuts frequently. Scrape everything evenly onto the cookie sheet, keeping the nuts separated. Once cooled, use a metal spatula to remove the nuts and hard candied caramel. It will have the consistency of peanut brittle. You can store it in a zippered storage bag.

Chard, Wild Herbs, and Garlic & Herb Jack Cheese Focaccia Ring

This is a take on the Spinach and Garlic & Herb Jack Cheese Ring.

2 tsp sugar
1/4 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound herbed cheese

4 oz wild herbs

shredded pecorino parmesan

In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

While waiting for the yeast to proof, take a selection of herbs and mince them finely, adding olive oil to the bowl you set them aside in. Rough chop the chard.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tbls at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about 1 minute.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Roll the dough and layer in the minced herbs, rough chopped chard and pieces of cheese. Roll tightly and seal the ring and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt and shredded pecorino parmesan.

Bake the focaccia ring for 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness.