Classic French
Orange sauce
A Christmassy spiced purée
Prep 10 minsCook 20 minsServes 300
This Christmassy spiced purée can be used to garnish both sweet and savoury dishes, but it works particularly well with goose. Try it this Christmas for an interesting twist!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 100gOrange zest, no pith
- 4 ltrWater
- 50mlOrange juice
- 150mlOlive oil, extra virgin
- 20gCaster sugar
- 1 pinchSea salt
- 1 pinchCayenne pepper
Method
- 1
In a large pan on a high heat, bring the cold water and the zest to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until virtually all the bitterness has been removed and the zest is completely soft.
Strain the zest and place into a blender, and blend with the orange juice and half of the oil until it is freely turning in the jug.
Trickle the remaining oil until the purée is smooth.
Pour into a large bowl and season to taste with the sugar, salt and pepper.
Cover and reserve until needed.
Chef's Tips
“"When zesting the orange, use a sharp peeler with a thin gap to ensure that you only remove the orange zest and not the white pith from the orange. The pith is very bitter and will give your purée an acrid flavour." "If you are using olive oil in a purée or sauce, always use your best quality. I always use a good quality refined oil because, during the refining process, the oil is heated slightly, pressed and filtered. A little flavour is lost, but it means that you can cook with it, and the burning point is increased from 190°C to 242°C." "The blanching is necessary to remove the majority of the bitterness and harshness from the orange zest – leaving you with a wonderfully aromatic purée. It needs to be blanched in large amounts of water three to four times until when eaten the zest is tender with a very mild flavour."
Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.
Bon appétit!