Navel gazing
Oranges aren't the only fruit, but they're so good right now.
I was at the supermarket on Thursday night (I know, I need to get out more), watching what other people put in their trolleys. In the fruit and vege section, two bins of oranges stood facing each other, one proclaiming ‘Gisborne Navel Oranges’, the other ‘Australian Oranges’. It reminded me of a story my father used to tell about going to the markets in Hong Kong in the 1970s, where there would be two bins of oranges identical in every way except the oranges in one bin bore ‘Sunkist’ stickers. If you poked your head around the corner, Dad said, you’d see a seller diligently stickering every second orange before tossing it in the respective bin.
I have nothing against Australian oranges but I have no idea why we import them at this time of year when the local ones are at their glowing peak. Don’t even start me on why we import American ones. Or stonefruit. It’s madness!
Navels are not the only orange, of course, but they’re the ones to eat right now - their Valencia cousins are more of a summer orange. Probably the very best thing you can do with them - apart from quartering them in the traditional fashion for the sports field (or kitchen bench), is to fillet them as painstakingly as fish, then smother them with sugar or a thin caramel (they don’t need it, but it’s great) and eat with lots of cold, whipped cream or yoghurt. The very next best thing is this extremely simple ice cream.
Navel Orange Ice Cream
This recipe has a bit of a storied history. It’s inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe - she uses lemon in How To Eat, then pomegranate juice in Nigella Express - but I actually wonder if she was originally inspired by an Elizabeth David recipe for ‘Lemon Ice Cream’ that I recently re-stumbled upon in Summer Cooking. Anyway, this can also be made with mandarin juice - my brother does this to great success. I think he also grows the mandarins, which is also impressive. Anyway, about twice a year he texts me some variation of ‘help, I can’t remember ratio of juice to cream’ - so now it’s seared into my brain.
I’ve gone a bit fancy here by setting the mixture in a 20cm round cake tin, then pouring chocolate-orange ganache on top, but you could just as easily freeze it in an ice cream container and scooping it out. It also doubles (or triples) easily. Don’t make and save for a rainy day though, it’s best eaten within a week.
This is easily enough for four people, or six very polite ones.
1 large navel orange (yields a pile of zest and 60ml juice)
1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar
300ml cream
Finely grate the orange zest over a large bowl, being careful to stop before you get to the white pith. Squeeze the juice (it should be about 60-75ml) on top. Stir in the icing sugar, then pour in the cream. Whip to soft peaks.
Transfer this mixture to a lined 20cm cake tin, or a plastic container. Cover and freeze for four hours, or until firm.
Scoop or slice to serve, with a scattering of more orange zest on top.
Optional extra: if you have another orange kicking around, finely grate the zest and set it aside. Squeeze the juice into a small pot. Bring the juice to a simmer over medium heat, then add 60g dark chocolate. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Pour this over the frozen ice cream, or let diners do the same with their own portion. Scatter the orange zest artistically on top. For even more excitement, add a few dried chilli flakes to the party too.
Good Things
(Inter)National Velvet
The day after I confessed to Jim Mora that I eat chocolate every day, my sister serendipitously sent me this stupendously good local bar. The clue is in the name - this Mount Maunganui-based firm makes chocolate from Solomon Islands-grown cacao beans. It’s every bit as smooth and silky as the name suggests.
‘Reading moves slow and mends things’
If you’re a fan of Jeanette Winterston you may already know that she writes a typically thoughtful and brilliant newsletter called Mind Over Matter. (If you’ve never heard of Jeanette Winterson, go to the library or bookshop and borrow or buy, ‘Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit’, immediately. Great things await you.) Anyway, this particular one I wanted to print out and send to everyone I know - you, dear readers, included.
The Odyssey
Quick, go and see this on the biggest screen you can. It’s epic in every sense of the word; a story as old as Homer’s wine-dark sea, brought to life by an excellent cast. It’s not perfect (very occasionally I felt like I was watching Matt Damon in a swords and sandals Bourne reboot) but it’s a colossal spectacle all the same.
Thank you kindly for reading - and for clicking on the heart below - I know this is pathetically needy but it helps spread the Fancy Butter love.
May the gods smile on us all this week,
Lucy
I do like the sound of that ice cream.
I was in Gisborne last week visiting my Dad and eating navels from his tree. They probably need another few weeks to a month before they’re sweet enough for his tastes but I love their zesty freshness. Also $3.49 a kilo at Pak’n’Save and you won’t get many he says. Thanks for the ice cream recipe!