I love blood oranges and they are in season for such a short time. This year I was in Southern France at the beginning of the blood orange season, and was amazed at the intensity and juiciness of blood oranges fresh from the tree compared to those that I can buy at a grocery store in Toronto. If I had stopped and thought about it, I shouldn't have been surprised, because I always celebrate the intensity of Ontario strawberries freshly picked from the field in the summer, and tomatoes from the garden, still warm from the summer sun.
When I came home, I wanted to recapture that intensity, and so experimented with poaching the oranges. Not the same as the freshness of the oranges from the tree, however this has quickly become a favourite winter desert, dead simple to make with only three ingredients.
8 blood oranges
4 meyer lemons
1/2 cup of honey
Peel oranges and remove all of the white pith and external membrane, being careful to keep oranges whole. Set aside in bowl, to contain any juice that might bleed from the oranges.
Juice lemons, and put in non corrosive pot. Add honey and bring to a simmer. Carefully place oranges and any juice that may of accumulated in the lemon and honey mixture. Turn oranges every couple of minutes until all sides have been in the poaching liquid for 2 or three minutes. Do not over cook, being careful not to let the oranges get mushy.
Remove oranges with a slot spoon to bowl, and reduce lemon and honey mixture by 50%. It will be very red by this time. Pour hot mixture over oranges and let cool to room temperature. Serve with biscotti, and or ginger or vanilla ice cream.
