I’m pretty sure that the last thing anyone needs is another blood orange recipe. I know I’ve seen at least 20 in the last month. But because I am chronically behind on trends (my closet supports this) I’m posting my contribution now.
Can we just agree that we saved the best for last? We can? Good.
Blood oranges are one of those foods that cause a great freakout in the blogosphere. Other foods that cause us to collectively loose our cool? Asparagus, tomatoes, any stone fruit ever, and strawberries. Foods that don’t cause a freakout? Potatoes. No one freaks out over potatoes. I don’t care how amazing the potatoes are, they will never get the same response as a perfectly ripe strawberry*.
Blood oranges are the midwinter reminder of all things good and summer. Eat them fresh. Make juice**. Make sorbet. Do all of that. Then, just when you’ve got that out of your system, make them into an upside-down cake. And this is one stunning upside-down cake. Simple and quick enough to make mid-week when that cake caving strikes, but fancy enough for a dinner party.
Slice some blood oranges nice and thin. No thinner than that. Thinnnnner. If you don’t slice them thin, it will be hard to cut the cake nice and pretty. It also makes the cake harder to eat. So slice your oranges thinner than I sliced mine. Don’t be scared about leaving the oranges whole. They’re cooking in caramel. I promise they will be sweet, but there will be a slight bitterness to the affair that I particularly like. What really seals the deal on this cake? The cornmeal in the batter. I love cornmeal in desserts, and this is no exception.
*Which we just bought a flat of yesterday. Locally grown and everything. Seriously. Strawberries from 4 miles away that are RIPE***. I might have cried. I may have lost all powers of speech. I may have eaten a whole basket in one sitting.
**Then add gin to it. Preferably Hendricks. And maybe a splash of soda. You're welcome.
***Maybe I will finally be ahead of the curve when it comes to strawberry recipes because I have them, and chances are you don't.
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