Blood Orange Blog Post
By Tom Midford
Hello everyone,
This is Tom here, and I would like to make a shout out to Produce Good for its delivery of blood oranges and its work to reduce food waste and hunger in San Diego. Congratulations on gleaning 1 million pounds of excess produce!
More information about Produce Good Here:
History, Varieties, and Name Origins
Blood oranges originated in Sicily and Spain. There are three varieties: Tarocco, Moro, and Sanguinello. They are grown everywhere that has a Mediterranean climate, including right here in California. Blood oranges get their name from the dark red pigment of their insides, and look like they are bleeding when you juice them.
Harvest
Blood oranges are harvested when the fruit’s flavor and color are fully developed. The exact time of this varies, with some varieties, like the Moro, maturing from late winter to early spring, while others, such as the Sanguinello, ripen around mid-spring. The fruit is picked from the tree when the stem starts to dry.
Blood Orange Poundcake Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10ml) baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup (113g or one stick) butter , at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
finely grated zest of 2 blood oranges
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh blood orange juice
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk *see note below
FOR THE SAUCE:
1-2 Tablespoons (15 -30ml) fresh blood orange juice (depending on how thick you like your sauce)
1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8.5 inch x 4.5 inch loaf pan.
Whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt for about 20 seconds or until well combined. Set aside.
Beat together the butter, sugar, blood orange zest and blood orange juice until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes in a stand mixer). Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and egg.
Add the buttermilk and the dry flour mixture to the butter/egg batter. Carefully stir the batter until combined, but don’t overmix (it will be a thick batter), making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
When cool enough to handle, gently remove the pound cake from the pan.
Make the sauce: Whisk together the blood orange juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spoon the sauce over the pound cake or serve alongside to dunk in.
Citations
“Blood Orange Buttermilk Pound Cake”.White on Rice Couple, 2019. March 24, 2022. {https://whiteonricecouple.com/blood-orange-buttermilk-pound-cake/}
Kelsey, Amber. “Instructions for Caring for Blood Oranges”.Sfgate, March 27, 2022.{https://homeguides.sfgate.com/instructions-caring-blood-oranges-94159.html}