I spotted some blood oranges in my grocery store. I've never tasted a blood orange, but have always wanted one. I got really excited, and started filling a big bag, full. I got up to the register, and they didn't know how much they were, so I was charged 60 cents for all of them. Sweet.
A feeling of retribution welled up inside of me, as I remembered all of the times I'd been overcharged for produce.
Eggplant, brussel sprouts, apples...
I picked up my big bag of oranges, laughed evilly, and headed home.
I've done a few things with the oranges, but this is just one of my ideas. I saw a passion fruit gelée recipe in the December issue of Gourmet, and I knew I had to try it. I loved how beautiful they looked.
The gelées are a combination of blood orange and blackberry purée, gelatin, sugar, water, and lemon juice. I haven't worked much with gelatin-just a few times. It was really interesting....I don't remember it smelling quite so bad.
It's almost like the cows and pigs are getting the last laugh.
This was a really easy recipe, although, boiling the gelatin on the stove, was a little scary. It would boil up, and then boil down. I thought it was going to go over the pan. Also, removing the gelées from the pan was difficult. I might suggest lining the pan with plastic wrap. Other than that, it wasn't too complicated.
You're probably wondering how they taste, right? Well...I don't like them. It's like eating tough Jello. And they are too sweet. The flavor of the blood orange and blackberry wasn't strong enough, for me.
They look pretty, though. If I was going to make a candy like this in the future, I would use pectin.
The reviews on Epicurious mostly agree with me. Some people liked them; you might, too.
Printable Recipe
4 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar plus additional for tossing
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup combination of blood orange and blackberry purée (strain blackberry seeds)
Equipment: an 8-inch square nonstick baking pan
Lightly oil baking pan.
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and let stand 4 minutes to soften. Heat gelatin over medium-low heat, stirring, until dissolved. Stir in 2 cups sugar until dissolved, then stir in lemon juice.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, washing any sugar crystals down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil, uncovered, without stirring, 13 minutes (watch carefully so that mixture does not boil over). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes for bubbles to dissipate. (Skim any foam that remains after 5 minutes.) Stir in fruit purée (do not scrape bottom of pan; leave any dark bits that stick). Pour into baking pan and let stand at room temperature until set, at least 12 hours.
Run a sharp knife around edge of gelatin and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips, then cut strips into 1-inch pieces. Just before serving, gently toss gelées in a bowl of sugar to coat, brushing off excess.
Servings: Makes about 4 dozen candies
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