Act quickly if you want to catch the (impossibly short) Seville orange season.
And you really, really should because Seville’s aren’t just plain, old ordinary oranges, they’re special – like oranges on steroids.
In the main Seville’s are bought for making marmalade which doesn’t particularly interest me, (although I am partial to a tangy orange curd).
I want them purely for their zest and juice which is unbelievably intense and sour. Think about sucking on a lemon and times it by three!
If that sounds off putting, imagine sprinkling a little zest into melted chocolate, or giving extra flavour to a Madeira cake. Amazing in mayonnaise too.
But as taste sensations go, it doesn’t get much better than combining the zest and juice with sugar and whipped cream, then chilling it before serving in sundae glasses. And Ta Da! you’ve got yourself a mighty fine tangy orange syllabub .
If creamy desserts aren’t your bag, and let’s face it they’re not everyone’s, what about a refreshing orange & clove sorbet instead? It’s very grown up, so perfect when you want to impress, yet hardly takes any effort.
More good news is, both desserts (as well as zest and juice) will keep all year in the freezer. That’s if you have the willpower to hang onto them for that long.
I guess it’s too early to buy Sevilles now Jan8th? I’m in The eastern Algarve , does anyone know where I could buy them, we scoured the area from Faro to Ayr Monte last year; we could drive over to Spain; all usefu lsuggestions welcome; please!! Thankyou; or you could set up a delivery service! the Portuguese have impossibly sweet taste so there is no local demand for them here and the local shops & markets don’t seem to bother with them.
What a great blog! I’ve only just discovered you (by accidnet) but signed up to get your weekly updates
Somebody dropped a link to your blog on Twitter and that is where I first found your blog. I actually fancy the stuff I have read on your blog and plan to keep reading when I get more time. Do you have a Twitter account?
I see you’re right on the money Uma, todays Sunday Times had a few recipes using seville oranges. None inspired me like yours did. The orange and clove sorbet is so clean tasting, but I could have done with a few more cloves, I scraped together the few remaining in the jar so will definitely have to make some more.
Uma, what are you doing to me!!!
My waistline doesn’t stand a chance with all your gorgeous food.
The syllabub is to die for. I followed the recipe and promptly ate the lot!!! it was that good, now I’m feeling very guilty so blaming you! Tonight I’m doing double the laps at the swimming pool, it’s an uphill struggle!!!!
I’m loving your recipes – but especially the desserts. Planning to get some oranges tommoz and do em at the weekend.
We made your syllabub and sorbet yesterday with great success! Both recipes are very nice and very easy to do. As you say seville oranges are extremely sharp and have a considerable amount of pips but the results were excelent non the less. Thank you Uma!
I am delighted Judy! Many Thanks for letting me know
Did I cook Chicken Romana? Yes, I did !!! What a great recipe. I’m so wet about cooking recipes including ingredients my boys don’t like but I decided .. .. sod it. Charlie hates olives and capers and Hugo doesn’t like courgette. There were a few disapproving comments as they hovered around me to see what they were getting for supper. However, they LOVED it, had seconds and Hugo said “this is really delicious”. So a definite hit, so easy to make and how perfect to have the dilema of what to cook on a Saturday night sorted via an email. Many thanks, Uma.