Blood Orange Pudding
Gelo di arancia rossa
Alright, I will admit it. I am a nostalgia freak. Just over a year ago my hometown newspaper axed its stand alone Food Section. Doubtless a victim of the recession and changing reading habits, the Food Section of yore had breathed its last. From its glory days of over thirty pages, through the years the section became smaller, continuing the inexorable march to its current iteration as part of a Saturday lifestyle sampler.
Looking over my collection of LA Times recipes I came across one for Tangelo pudding. The Times’ recipe was adapted from Deborah Madison, fruit and vegetable guru. It sounded intriguing. One problem, though. No tangelos. However I have lots of blood oranges. The idea came to me, and it sounded very Italian – Gelo di arancia rossa. Why I did not think of making it before, I will never know. I’ve made everything else with blood oranges – cake, cocktails, fruit gelatin, gelato, panna cotta, salads, sorbetto and zabaglione. Italians love fruit puddings; perhaps the most famous is Gelo di anguria – Watermelon Pudding. (Think Palermo in summer.) These puddings are very simple affairs composed of fruit juice, sugar, and very often orange blossom, jasmine or rose water and thickened with cornstarch.
Blood oranges vary in sweetness. Taste the mixture as you heat it. You may wish to add more sugar. Puddings made from citrus can have a hard edge – the addition of butter will soften it. Don’t skip it. Top this one with some sweetened whipped cream to which you have added vanilla and orange extracts. The orange extract brings the whipped cream into harmony with the pudding. A generous dollop seals the deal.
This pudding will set up firmly enough to be unmolded, but I thought it would look particularly nice in tulips. Yes, tulips – the old-fashioned glassware used in American diners for sundaes and puddings. Until I was putting this together I did not even know they were called tulips, but Bart did. He worked at Carnation Ice Cream here in Los Angeles while he was in college. I love the soda jerk tech talk.
Blood Orange Pudding
makes 4 servings, just over ½ cup each
For the pudding:
zest of 3 blood oranges
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-2 teaspoons orange blossom water, to taste
1 tablespoon orange blossom honey
For the whipped cream:
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
Place sugar and zest in mini-food processor and process until zest is finely ground or chop together finely. Place sugar, cornstarch and chopped zest in 2 quart saucepan and combine with whisk. Slowly pour blood orange juice into pan, whisking constantly.
Place over medium heat and bring to a hard boil. Decrease heat slightly and cook, stirring constantly, scraping the sides and bottom of pan until mixture thickens. Continue cooking one minute more.
Remove from heat, and pour into large strainer set over a 2 quart measuring cup. (The use of a measuring cup at this point will facilitate pouring the pudding into serving glasses.)
Add butter, orange blossom water and honey, stirring to combine. Divide among tulips or other serving glasses. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Top with sweetened whipped cream and serve.
Make whipping cream: combine ingredients for whipping cream, and beat until cream mounds softly.
Note: You can click on any picture for a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 1:42 am |
magnifica presentazione, un’altra ricetta chic e molto originale!Buona domenica cara Adri, un abbraccio da Trieste!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 6:57 am |
Ciao Chiara,
Grazie! Buona domenica a te. Un bacione!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 5:46 am |
A parte la bontà immensa di questo dessert, ma è veramente, veramente bellissimo!! Complimenti di cuore! <3 Buona domenica!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 7:14 am |
Ciao Ely, e grazie per le tue gentilissime parole. Buona domenica a te!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 8:05 am |
Lovely! There is nothing that isn’t made better with blood oranges!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 8:34 am |
Hi Trevor,
Thanks. And you’re right. I can’t get enough of them!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 1:27 pm |
Aside from presenting a delectable recipe, your posts are always so beautifully styled Adri. I love the orange slice print in the background and the actual leaves with flower buds too. How lucky you are to have those citrus fruits in your yard. I also love that Bart knew these were tulip glasses. Who knew? Not I.
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 4:20 pm |
Ciao Linda,
Who knew indeed – leave it to Bart to fill us in on soda jerk jargon. I love having these trees in my yard. Remarkably, just a few minutes ago I was outside and all my blood orange trees and my Meyer lemon are literally covered with new green growth and what must be hundreds and hundreds of buds. Gotta love southern California!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 2:01 pm |
I love bood oranges! Your pudding is super!! Great photos! kiss Adri:**
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 4:58 pm |
Ciao Simona,
I love them too. They have such a wonderful taste, and they are so dramatic! Thank you for the kind words. Un bacione!
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 2:44 pm |
Adri. Putting it in the tulip glass makes the color of the pudding even more inviting
Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 4:48 pm |
Hi Anthony,
The color is pretty amazing, isn’t it? And can’t you just see Bart in his soda jerk uniform and white hat!
Monday, February 25th 2013 at 11:14 pm |
Caspita che meraviglia e per di più deve essere buonissimo 🙂 Buona giornata cara!
Tuesday, February 26th 2013 at 6:30 am |
Grazie! Buona giornata a te! Un bacione!
Tuesday, February 26th 2013 at 10:05 am |
It’s hard to believe how the LA Times Food section has changed. I used to save them all until they became a fire hazard. Then in a fit of disgust with the new Saturday section I impulsively threw out my whole collection. I felt vindicated, but I realize now the loss is mine. GREG
Tuesday, February 26th 2013 at 11:27 am |
Hi Greg,
I hear you. What a loss. They have a great test kitchen, talented people, and it has been decimated. I hope you kept the photo features of your work for your scrap book-I kept mine!
Tuesday, February 26th 2013 at 3:40 pm |
The color is stunning! I’m imagining how this must taste, in that sweet-tart-tropical way that blood oranges have So tempting.
Tuesday, February 26th 2013 at 7:18 pm |
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much. Yes, indeed, it’s a big hit of blood orange taste. I am so glad this caught your eye. Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, February 27th 2013 at 1:13 am |
ma che bella questa ricetta 😀 complimenti!! ciao adribarr, grazie per essere passata a trovarmi 😉 a presto
Federica 🙂
Wednesday, February 27th 2013 at 6:59 am |
Ciao Federica,
Grazie per le tue parole gentilissime. Il tuo blog e cosi bello, veramente. Il piacere e mio. Alla prossima!
Saturday, March 9th 2013 at 11:24 am |
Ciao Adri, bellissima ricetta e grazie per essere passata da me!!!
Bellissimo il tuo sito, mi iscrivo!
buonissima serata
Mari
Saturday, March 9th 2013 at 12:31 pm |
Ciao Marisa,
Grazie per le tue gentilissime parole. E u piacere di fare la tua conoscenza-alla prossima! Un bacione!
Tuesday, January 14th 2014 at 7:51 pm |
Thanks very much for the recipe. I am starting to see blood oranges in the markets in full force now.
Tuesday, January 14th 2014 at 9:14 pm |
Hi Val,
Don’t you just love blood oranges? I always enjoy them. From various sorbetti to cocktails and cakes, I adore them. The season comes and goes all too quickly. Alla prossima!
Tuesday, January 14th 2014 at 9:55 pm |
Absolutely beautiful!
Wednesday, January 15th 2014 at 3:17 pm |
Hi Lizzy!
Thanks – I guess it’s not blood orange season for you now in your part of the world, but wait a few months! Alla prossima!