Clementine Days

I don't remember clementines existing before four years ago. I may have had one, its possible. But about four years ago at the holidays, I was forlorn, lonely, pathetic and very pregnant. I was rescued and supported by an angel named Sarah and her lovely family. Her handsome and charismatic father gifted his pretty girls each a box of clementines in some bizarre family tradition. I will forever associate these little orange-like creatures with Sarah, her family and Christmas-saved. Now days you can get them almost year-round, and it spoils the treat of it a bit. I have known clementines just a little longer than I have known dear Scout.

These are clementine days. Lonely winter days (luckily never as lonely as that desperate one four years ago). But a difficult time of year. Not helped at all by our terrible grey-skied inversion. A clementine is as bright a spot as one little 3 3/4 year old. So yesterday I celebrated them.

It started like this, I thought scones sounded good for breakfast. This is the recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen. It called for fruit, and the clementines is the only fruit I had. So I adapted. Unfortunately, due to facebook-chatting Kurt at the same time as going "wow" every time Scout matched two cards on her iTouch memory game at the same time I was trying to bake... I forgot the SUGAR. And remembered when the "scones" were in the oven. So... we had clementine BISCUITS. Wonderful texture! They tasted fabulous with butter and honey. And I ate them plain and was thrilled. They did not last long.


Clementine Scones adapted from North Fork Table & Inn Scones found on Smitten Kitchen

Makes 12 to 16

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup SUGAR
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces of butter, in 1/2-inch cubes
3 clementines
2/3 c. buttermilk (which I didn't have, so I mixed one T of vinegar with scant cup milk & sit for 5 minutes)

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

- preheat 375°
- put cubed butter in freezer for 15 minutes
- peel and de-seed oranges, liquify in food processor, approx one cup; rinse & dry FP
- measure other ingredients (except buttermilk and fruit) and mix in the bowl of a food processor.
- add butter to processor bowl and mix until the butter and flour mixture are the texture of coarse cornmeal
- transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer and add buttermilk and fruit, mixing on the lowest speed until the dough just comes together.
- turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple times.
- pat dough out to approximately one-inch thickness and cut into squares and then triangles.
- bake on an ungreased parchmented baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Speaking of clementines and Smitten Kitchen, her Clementine Cake recently looked so beautiful and sounded perfect for our last-minute dinner party. It was DELICIOUS, and a big hit at the party. And perfect with coffee the next day for breakfast.

This is how it became a clementine-day. Much better than a smog-filled, crappy, cold winter-isn't-it-spring-YET day. Between the clementines, our dinner and the dinner for Ella's new mom & dad, I got to spend the entire day in the kitchen (except for the Sundance movie break at noon!), making it the best day ever. A perfect, rescued clementine day.


Clementine Cake adapted from Nigella Lawson (whom I adore!) as found on Smitten Kitchen

4 to 5 clementines (about 375grams/slightly less than 1 pound total weight)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) sugar
2 1/3 cups (250 grams) ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Optional: Powdered sugar for dusting, or for making a glaze

- Put the clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the seeds. Then finely chop the skins, pith, and fruit in the processor (or by hand, of course).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Butter and line an 8-inch (21 centimeter) springform pan with parchment paper.
Beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding the chopped clementines.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 50 minutes (check after 30 - I took it out at 37 minutes), when a skewer will come out clean; you might have to cover the cake with foil after about 20 to 30 minutes to stop the top from over-browning.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool, in the pan on a rack. When the cake is cold, you can take it out of the pan and dust it with powdered sugar. "Nigella says the cake is best on the second day, but ours never made it that long.

Variations: Nigella says she’s also made this with an equal weight of oranges and lemons, in which case the sugar is increased to 1 1/4 cups".