Chocolate-Blood Orange Marble Bread

I eagerly wait in anticipation for blood orange season. I know there are plenty of delicious orange varieties out there months earlier than when blood oranges hit the market (and I eat plenty of those), but there’s something special about cutting open the bright orange rind and discovering what shade of magenta- to wine-colored flesh lies inside. They are fairly easy to find at grocery stores these days, but if you can’t find them in your area or your looking for a good, small-farm provider, you can buy them from my friends at Good Taste Farm! Farmers Kris and Sarah have some of the best citrus I’ve eaten and they’ll happily ship directly to your house or office. Plus, you can sign up for monthly subscription boxes so you’ll get a tasty surprise box each month filled with goodies like limes, passion fruit, and today’s subject - blood oranges.

When I’m in need of something delicious but don’t have a lot of time and/or energy, I turn to quick breads. With a simple stir-together batter, this marbled style looks complicated, but it’s actually really easy. You make one batter, scoop some out, and add cocoa to one portion. No fuss, just a beautiful and tasty end result. The bright pink glaze gets its color from that magenta blood orange juice - thank you nature! You can get more creative with this recipe by adding in some spices like ginger or cardamom, adding a touch of almond extract, or stirring in some chocolate chips. Have fun with it, and happy baking!

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Chocolate & Blood orange marble bread

Makes 1 (8x4-inch) loaf or 6 servings

ingredients

Bread

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoon white sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
  and divided

• ½ cup salted butter, melted

• ¼ cup blood orange juice

• 2 large eggs

• Zest of 1 blood orange

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

• ½ teaspoon almond extract

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons blood orange juice

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray an 8x4-inch loaf pan with baking spray. Line sides and bottom with parchment paper letting the excess stick up over the edges.

2. BREAD: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together ¼ cup milk, melted butter, ¼ cup blood orange juice, eggs, zest, vanilla paste, and almond extract. Stir butter mixture into flour mixture until combined. Reserve 1 cup batter in a small bowl; stir cocoa powder and remaining ¼ cup milk into reserved batter.

3. Add half of plain batter to prepared pan, smoothing with an offset spatula. Pour chocolate batter over plain, mostly cover it it. Top with remaining plain batter. Gently swirl batters together using a knife.

4. Bake for 55 to 57 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely in pan.

5. GLAZE: In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons blood orange juice until smooth. Add additional tablespoons if a thinner consistency is desired. Top cooled loaf with glaze and blood orange slices, if desired. Bread will keep, covered, at room temperature for 2 days.

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Orange Blossom & Hazelnut Teacake

The orange trees in California have been going crazy over the last few months, celebrating the massive amount of rain we received over winter. I'm not sure if you've ever had the pleasure of smelling a blooming orange tree, but it's intoxicating in the best way. There's a house a few blocks over from us that has a single tree in the front yard. On evening walks around the neighborhood, the sweet smell of its blooms fills the air before it's even in sight. This teacake is like that tree. While there are subtle floral notes in the taste, the orange blossom component has everything to do with the smell, and it fills your nose with every bite. Dense but still crumbly, it's slightly sweet and inviting the company of a slathering of jam and cup of Barry's Irish breakfast tea (because it's the best!). 

You'll notice this recipe calls for whole wheat flour, typically taboo in cake recipes as it can add too much density, leaving you without that traditional light and crumbly texture. However, I love using the ivory wheat flour in this cake. Not only does it add nutrients and a bit of protein from the whole grains, this flour adds a delicate toasty layer to the flavor profile. By nature, it does cause the cake to be denser, but that's why you whip the egg whites! This will ensure your cake achieves a nice rise and a good crumb. The addition of hazelnut flour aids in the texture and helps to keep the cake from drying out. Finished off with a brushing of orange blossom syrup, your nose and taste buds will both be thanking you for treating them so well. 

Thanks to Bob's Red Mill for supplying me with these lovely ingredients to play with! If your local grocery store doesn't carry their products you can order the Ivory Wheat flour and Hazelnut flour online!

If you aren't sure where to find orange blossom water, it's started popping up in conventional grocery stores, but any food mart that carries a good selection or specializes in Middle Eastern products should have it. You can also order it online.

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Orange Blossom & Hazelnut Tea Cake

• 1 cup Ivory Wheat Flour (or half traditonal whole wheat, half all-purpose flour)

• 1 1/2 cup hazelnut flour (can sub with almond)

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 tsp ground ginger

• 2 tsp ground cardamom

• 4 eggs

• 5 Tbsp softened coconut oil

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 Tbsp orange blossom water

• 3 Tbsp orange blossom syrup

Preheat oven to 350’F. Grease an 8” cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Whisk together all dry ingredients (Ivory flour through cardamom) in a small bowl to remove any clumps. Set aside.

Separate the egg yolks and whites. Set the yolks aside and add the whites to a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. 

In an additional mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar. Beat on low speed until the oil and sugar whips together and becomes *fluffy (about 2 minutes). 

*If you haven’t creamed coconut oil with sugar before, please note that it will start out looking crumbly and then clump together before becoming smooth and eventually the consistency of a thick nut butter. It takes a bit longer than creaming soft butter with sugar (so, stick with it!).

Add in the egg yolks, and beat until the color has lightened a bit and the texture is fluffy (about 1 minute). Mix in the vanilla extract and orange blossom water just until combined. 

Working on the lowest speed, beat a third of the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until the flour is mostly incorporated. Add in half of the milk and beat to combine. Continue this process in the same order with the remaining flour and milk. 

Scoop a cup of the beaten egg whites into the batter. On low speed, mix until fully incorporated. Switching from the electric mixer to a spatula, add the remaining egg whites and gently fold them into the batter by hand, just to combine. If there are a few clumps or thin streaks of whites, that’s ok. 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, spreading it evenly through the pan. Place in the middle of your oven to bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top begins to form small cracks and the center has risen. 

Cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and continue cooling on the rack. Brush the top with orange blossom syrup in 2 or 3 installments, allowing a few minutes between brushings so the cake to soak up the syrup. Remove the parchment paper before serving.

The cake can be eaten as is or with a hearty smothering of jam. For a dressier finish, dust the edges with powdered sugar and decorate with chopped hazelnuts and/or edible flowers. 

Orange Blossom Syrup

Orange trees bloom like crazy in the late winter and early spring in California. If you live in an area where citrus grows, or have citrus growers that come to your local farmers market, chances are good that they'll be able to get some orange blossoms for you. Citrus growers tend to thin their trees of flowers and/or fruit in order to regulate their growing cycle, allowing the tree to use less energy and produce better fruit more often. If you're looking for orange blossoms, ask your local citrus growers when their trees bloom and if they'd be willing to sell you some blossoms. Most likely, they'll say yes. 

Since citrus only grows in very specific locations, you can make this syrup using orange blossom water and it'll be just as good! If you aren't sure where to find orange blossom water, it has started popping up in conventional grocery stores, but any food mart than carries a good selection or specializes in middle eastern products should have it. You can also order it online.

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Orange Blossom Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups orange blossoms, rinsed, or 2 Tbsp orange blossom water

Flower method: In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar on low until the sugar dissolve. Add the orange blossom and bring to a gentle simmer. Immediately remove from the heat, cover, and let the flowers steep for 12-24 hours. Drain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth and discard the flowers. 

The orange blossom syrup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. You can freeze it or preserve it by water bath canning for use later on. 

Orange blossom water method: In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar on low. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to ensure the sugar dissolves and doesn't stick to the pan. Stir in the orange blossom water and remove from the heat. Cover and let the syrup cool to room temperature.

The orange blossom syrup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. You can freeze it or preserve it by water bath canning for use later on. 

Persimmon Salad + Whipped Goat Cheese

Featured: Fuyu Persimmons
When ripe, they have a honey-like sweetness that is delicious and unique for a winter fruit.  This particular variety is not astringent (causing a chalky mouth feel) so it can be eaten when less ripe, but their sweetness deepens as they ripen.  As the persimmon ripens, the color will become richer and the flesh will start to give slightly - similar to a slightly under ripe pear.  Serve raw or cooked. 

Nutrition: Rich in potassium and Vitamins A and C. Also a good source of antioxidants, fiber and Omega-6.

Season: October through November and into December in warmer climates.

I have to confess something.  Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday.  I start looking forward the atmosphere and decorations (and the music) in something like May.  However, Thanksgiving takes a very close second.  I love seeing the incredible variety of dishes and hearing about everyone's traditional family meals.  The sides alone are enough to make someone want to gorge themselves just so they can taste everything. The only issue I find with this load of deliciousness is that most of it is heavy - cream based, bread filled, oil slathered, deep fried - and I often find myself looking for something fresh and light to help balance everything out. Thus, I bring you a nice addition to your meal of thanks.

If you're unfamiliar with the persimmon, don't shy away from this recipe.  Persimmons tend to land on fall/winter's B-list of fruits and it's time we push them out into the limelight, where they belong.  There are few varieties to choose from, but start your persimmon eating journey with the fuyu.  If you can, buy them from a local farm or a market that sources locally; they will likely be sweeter and have more flavor than what you'll find at a grocery chain. NPR's got a nice little write up about them if you want to learn more. 

Now a note about goat cheese. You may read through this and wonder 1 - why it's whipped and 2 - why it's spread on a plate under the salad. Well, if you ask two questions, you'll get two answers. 1 - whipping it changes the consistency to a delectably creamy texture that spreads easily. 2 -  spreading it under the salad allows the dressing to mix with the cheese as you're eating, and assures that you don't get overpowering amounts of goat cheese in any single bite. There's also a couple of tips on how you can adapt the recipe to use in different ways. Also, be sure to use a good goat cheese for this. Trust me, it's worth the extra few pennies. 

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Persimmon Salad + Whipped Goat Cheese

• 2 Fuyu persimmons
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups spring lettuce mix
• 1 cup torn radicchio leaves
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh mint, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper and salt to taste
• Whipped Goat Cheese (see recipe below)

Combine the orange juice, honey and mint in a bowl and whisk together until the honey is dissolved. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking. Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste (only add salt if you need to - it can help cut down on the sharpness if your orange isn't particularly sweet). 

Cut off the top of each persimmon just below the stem/leaves and slice into 1/4" thick rounds. Stack the rounds and cut them into (smallish) bite size pieces. I like to cut mine into 6 pieces. Place your persimmon pieces in a small bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of dressing. Fully mix together and separate any slices that are stuck to each other - your hands are the best tool here. The dressing will help keep your slices from forming clumps. Add the pomegranate arils, lettuce, radicchio and walnuts. Pour in the remaining dressing and toss together. 

Spread 1 tablespoon of the whipped goat cheese on a salad plate. Spoon a quarter of your persimmon salad on top of the cheese and serve. 

If you aren't plating food for your guests or you're running things buffet style, try serving this salad in a radicchio leaf (like a lettuce cup, but the radicchio holds up a bit better).

To serve this way, follow the instructions up until plating. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of whipped goat cheese on the inside of each radicchio leaf. Evenly divide the salad in each leaf and serve on a platter. 

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Mix it up a little and add a tablespoon of fresh minced herbs (such as rosemary and parsley) to the beaten cheese mixture. Spread on toasted baguette or serve a spoonful atop mashed potatoes.

For a sweeter take, add 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder and a tablespoon of honey (or your favorite sweetener) and beat for an additional minute.  Spread it on toast or waffles as an excellent replacement for Nutella. 

WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE

• 2 oz plain goat cheese
• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
• Black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whip on medium speed with a hand held electric beater for 2 minutes (a whisk will do if you don't have a hand held beater). 

The key to this element of the salad is using good goat cheese. I buy goat cheese from a local farm (Nicolau Farms) that sells at our farmers market, but you can certainly buy it from the store. I just suggest splurging a little and buying the better brand. 

Serves 4 if plating // Serves 5-6 if serving in radicchio leaves