As I drive around the residential streets from Mountain View to Hilo, I can’t help but notice so many tangerine trees loaded with fruit and wonder why the owners have not picked them before they fall and rot under the tree.
As I drive around the residential streets from Mountain View to Hilo, I can’t help but notice so many tangerine trees loaded with fruit and wonder why the owners have not picked them before they fall and rot under the tree.
Tangerines are great for tangerine marmalade, dressing, or even a great tangerine cake.
With 3 pounds of tangerines, you could make marmalade, which can be used to make a wonderful marinade for chicken, pork or fish, as well as on toast.
Tangerine Marmalade
Place in a large pot and boil over high heat:
3 pounds tangerine (about 18), unpeeled, washed, ends trimmed, and cut crosswise into thin slices
6 cups water
When water starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until tangerines are tender, about 20 minutes. Add and cook for 40-45 minutes:
4 cups sugar
To test if marmalade is done, place a cold spoon into marmalade and feel if it thickens.
If you only have a few tangerines, here is a good dressing for your green salad.
In a blender, add:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
2 tablespoons Hawaiian honey
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch black pepper
Zest of two tangerines
1/4 cup fresh tangerine juice
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
Blend to combine. While the motor is running, slowly drizzle in:
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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If you want to make dessert, here is Paula Deen’s recipe for Tangerine Cake:
Fresh Tangerine Cake
By Paula Deen
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable cooking spray.
In a large bowl add and mix with a spatula:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add and mix with hand mixer:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup tangerine juice
1 tablespoon tangerine zest
Mix well until combined. Divide batter evenly into two pans, bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool completely before icing.
Tangerine Icing:
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 stick butter at room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
6 cups confectioners or powdered sugar
3 tablespoons tangerine juice
Beat until smooth with no lumps, place one layer cake on cake plate, frost top, place second layer, completely frost cake, serve.
Foodie Bites
Second semester at Hawaii Community College Culinary Program means the opening of Bamboo Hale. It is a great learning experience for the students ready to graduate in May with planning, preparing and serving meals from various countries or regions.
The program runs for 12 weeks.
There will be two menus, a regional one, which gives the guests a choice of four appetizers, two soups, plus four entrees and two desserts. This menu runs for four weeks, augmented with a different country or region menu that changes each week.
Through Feb. 21, the European menu includes:
Choice of one appetizer:
— House-made Gravlax with Crispy Potato Pancake/dill crème fraiche
— Moroccan Eggplant Salad in Phyllo/Charmoula Sauce
— Shrimp and Red Pepper Risotto
— Roasted Beet and Hawaii Island Goat Cheese Salad on Spinach and Arugula with Macadamia Nuts and Lemon Mint Vinaigrette
Choice of One Soup:
— Cream of Cauliflower Soup/Smoked Gouda and Tarragon Drizzle
— Caldo Verde with PiriPiri Drizzles with House-made Garlic Sausage and Island Greens
Choice of One Main Course:
— Kalikali in Papillote, Roasted Tomatoes, Kumquats, Shallots and Basil Butter, Truffled Mushroom Pilaf $16.50
— Tomato and Cinnamon Braised Cornish Game Hens Splits/House made Pasta with Thyme, Shallots, Lemon Zest/Garlic Sauteed Rainbow Chard/Cucumber Salad $16.25
— Grilled Big Island Tenderloin of Beef/Tempranillo and Smoke Paprika Jus/Mixed Pepper and Mushroom Saute/ “Fierce” Potatoes and Tomato Onion Relish $19.75
— Charcuterie Selection of House-Made Sauces/Potato Cakes and Pickled Vegetable/Poached Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing $14.95
Desserts $4:
— Queen of Sheba Cake with Honokaa Lilikoi Mousse
— Walnut Baklava with Waimea Lavender Ice Cream
Beverages $1:
— Coffee
— Hot Tea
— Iced Tea
In addition to the European menu, this week there will be a second menu featuring the foods of France.
The following week, Feb. 11-14, the foods of Germany will be showcased, in addition to the European menu.
Instructors Sandy Barr and Brian Hirata want to give the second-year students more exposure and “hope their learning will deepen by this process.”
The Bamboo Hale opens at 11 a.m. and the last reservation will be at 12:20 p.m. Call 934-2591 for reservations. Please support the culinary students, the first year at The Cafeteria and the second year, at the Bamboo Hale.
Thank you to Annie Aoki who pulled out mizuna from her garden and gave me a healthy, huge bunch. It was cold so I made a rice noodle soup, Vietnamese style, with chicken stock, boiled with ginger, garlic and star anise and added the mizuna, Chinese cabbage and mung bean sprouts.
With the cold weather lately, (people on the mainland would laugh at us when we are cold at 50-60 degrees while they are having ice, snow and have temperatures of 20-30 degrees!) the soup tasted so good and warmed us.
Please feel free to email me at wilson.audrey@hawaiiantel.net if you have a question. Bon appetit until next week.