I have only recently discovered Cara Cara oranges. They are in (Canadian) grocery stores right now (early February) but they are easy to miss with the wide variety of citrus on the shelves right now. If you seek them out though, you will be wonderfully rewarded.
Cara Cara oranges are sweet, low in acid and seedless. They are great for eating out of hand, in salads or for a wonderfully and naturally sweet ice cream.
I made some bittersweet chocolate butterfly decorations by melting chocolate chips and piping it onto parchment paper (with a drawing of butterfly wings underneath that I traced over). Refrigerate then peel off paper.
Cara Cara Orange Ice Cream
Summary: Cara Cara oranges are available in early February. They are sweet, very low in acid and seedless, with a beautiful pinkish-orange flesh. Of course, you can use any kind of orange. For less sweet oranges, you may wish to increase the sugar a bit.
Ingredients
- 1 cup half and half cream (10%)
- 1 cup whipping cream (35%)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 cups freshly squeezed Cara Cara oranges (about 8 oranges)
- Optional: (for a softer homemade ice cream) 1 Tbsp. vodka OR 1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum OR 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix for 30 seconds or so. Cover and store in the refrigerator until very cold. Add to ice cream maker and process as recommended by your machine manufacturer. Transfer to a shallow dish, cover tightly and store in the freezer.
- When ready to eat, remove container from freezer and let stand at room temperature 10-20 minutes, until softened slightly.
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Number of servings (yield): 8
