In the blogging world, today is Sugar High Friday #8 (SHF), and the theme this month is Citrus. Hosted by Alice at My Adventures in the Breadbox, it’s a theme that normally would have been a slight challenge for me. Like Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness, I don’t often cook or bake with citrus, and usually just eat it right from the peel. However, a few months ago, I stumbled on a really fantastic dessert from Jamie Oliver, that qualified as an OMG dish for me. This is one of those recipes that the sum is greater than its parts (or however that saying goes!), as it is really simplistic both in ingredients and preparation, yet packs a WOW in terms of flavor. Elegant enough for company, ya gotta try Cheat’s Dessert, my submission for SHF #8. As Jamie describes it, “this is a dessert which is absolutely great for getting you out of trouble at the last minute if you have friends descending on you for dinner,” and that’s a very apropos description. I made some slight changes to it myself, and the recipe below includes those modifications.
Cheat’s Dessert
Serves 4
4 almond biscotti
4 clementines, plus the juice of 2 oranges
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
55g/2oz caster sugar
Smash the biscotti up into crumbs using a pestle and mortar, or place them in a clean Ziploc bag and bash with a rolling pin. Put them into a dish. Peel and slice the clementines, making sure you remove any pits. Bring 55g/2oz of caster sugar to the boil with 6 tablespoons of water on a medium heat until you have a golden caramel. Remove from the heat, add the juice from the extra 2 oranges and stir it in to loosen the caramel syrup slightly. Pour this over your sliced oranges so they marinate in the caramelized juices. Divide the biscotti crumbs between 4 plates and top with a scoop of ice cream and divide up the slices of caramelized orange.
We refinanced our house today, and I celebrated by getting out to the bookstores tonight to do a little retail therapy. Perfect timing, since the June magazines are starting to come out. I bought the new issues of Olive, Eating Well, BBC Good Food, Donna Hay and a few others. Barnes & Noble was having a “buy 3, get 1 free” sale on their books and I also picked up two books by Ruth Reichl (Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples) and The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw (loved her other books). Amanda, if you’re reading this, a copy of your very own will be winging its way to you! And lastly, Food & Wine released Chef Recipes Made Easy, featuring recipes from Mario Batali, Alice Waters, Bobby Flay, Jacques Pepin, Jamie Oliver, Wolfgang Puck and more AND Weber released Grilling with Family and Friends, which I also snagged. These last two are sold with the magazines, but lean more towards “books” with their $10/each price tag. So, a very, very good night in the literary sense.
That’s all for now … tune in tomorrow to find out what celebrity chef I get to meet this weekend. Until then, have a happy one!
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Don’t you just love the way Jamie Oliver writes up his recipes? I can’t help but smile when I read them.
Man, I wish I could pick up new books and mags the way you do. Matt would kill me, not to mention we’d run out of usable living space if I did!
You’re meeting a chef? Very neat.
That recipes sounds wonderful! I am in the middle of Tender at the Bone right now and have Comfort me with Apples waiting. She also has a new one out called Garlic and Sapphires that I have heard really good things about too. She has lived quite the life!
I agree with you Stephanie. I am very envious of Missindi’s shopping sprees. I love hearing about them!!
Can you tell me how tablespoons the sugar would be? I have caster sugar too!! (it is called berry sugar here in Canda- go figure!)
You are a real inspiration and a might fine person!
have a great weekend.
Maureen (kima)
Stephanie – Jamie AND Nigella. I really love her way with words as well – quite poetic.
Emilie – I heard about the Garlic and Sapphires one, and it’s definitely on my list next. If you beat me to it, you’ll have to let me know how it is. How is Tender at the Bone so far? I love reading the behind-the-scenes stuff of food critics, restaurants, etc.
Kima – I believe it loosely converts to 4 tablespoons (it definitely does on a liquid basis at least, so try that first).
And Kima and Stephanie — really, I don’t spend as much as it sounds!! I am actually quite frugal in all other aspects of my life, trust me!! I get all my magazine subscriptions for pretty much under $5/year (many even free!!). Cooking stuff just happens to be the one area where I spend a little bit of cash. No spendthrift here. :)
I think that Garlic and Sapphires is the one that focuses on her life as a critic – Apples might touch on it as well. I am 3/4 of the way through Tender and so far it is her childhood into the early years of her marriage. No critic stuff yet but lots of recipes. I am sure you have but have you read The Making of a Chef and Soul of the Chef? Great books as well.
Do not click om the meassge from chaudes as a quick glance seems to show that it is pornographic in nature!!!
Anon – thanks for the heads up on that one. Comment removed. :)
That was me (kima). I also sent you an email.
Never saw that coming!!!!!! :)
Mmmm, sounds good and I sure can’t argue with easy! Thanks for participating.
Thanks, kim a– much appreciated!!! :)