Orange Mayonnaise Salad and (inset) Orange Blossom — two healthy and innovative recipes one can whip up with oranges Pix courtesy: The Park

The one thing that never fails to catch the fancy of passers-by is the sight of heaped oranges in the local markets. While office-goers and school children munch on the juicy fruit at leisure, cooks try out interesting culinary experiments. For be it a simple tossed salad or an elaborate dessert, oranges add colour and taste to any dish.

High in vitamin C, oranges are great for warding off coughs and colds. Even the orange rind is invaluable and apart from being used in a variety of dishes and preserves, beauticians swear by its astringent powers and beauty-enhancing properties.

Oranges can be used in a number of innovative ways. To make a sweet dish in a jiffy, chop up some fresh strawberries, add some segments of a juicy orange and top it off with whipped cream or condensed milk. Whatever way you decide to serve oranges, you can’t go wrong. Do try out the recipes below as they are all simple to make but high on taste. And while you’re at it, try your hand at preserving oranges — be it in the form of orange squash or orange marmalade. After all, you must give your family a dose of vitamin C in summer as well.

Ingredients:

Orange juice — 1/4th cup, grated orange rind — half an orange, fine sugar — 1/2 cup, brown or white bread — 6 slices, butter — as required

Method:

Combine orange juice, orange rind and sugar. Keep aside. Remove the crusts and toast the bread. Spread them with butter while hot. Sprinkle with the orange mixture and put them in a hot oven for a few minutes, long enough to brown the tops lightly. Serve warm with hot tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

Orange segments — 2 cups, finely shredded lettuce — 1/2 cup, finely chopped capsicum — 1/2 cup, roughly chopped dates and nuts — 1/2 cup, chopped garlic — one flake

For the dressing:

Mayonnaise — 1 cup, salad oil — 1/2 tbsp, mustard powder — 1/4th tsp, white pepper — 1/2 tsp, salt — as required

Method:

Combine all the ingredients of the dressings and whisk together. Keep in the jar and shake well before using. This crunchy salad is to be made just before serving. Mix all the ingredients together. Sprinkle liberally with the dressing and serve immediately. Garnish with orange segments before serving.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice — 2 tbsp, condensed milk — 1/2 tin, milk — 750 ml, segmented oranges with piths and pips removed — 5, nutmeg powder — 1/2 tsp, sugar — 3 tbsp

Method:

Clean rice. Bring milk to a boil. Simmer milk with rice till thick. When the rice is fully cooked and the mixture thick, add sugar and condensed milk. Cool. Arrange the orange segments in six small serving bowls. Pour the kheer over them. Sprinkle nutmeg powder and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Ingredients:

Flour — 1 3/4 cups, orange juice — 1 cup, sugar — 1 1/4 cup, eggs — 2, oil — 1/3 cup, baking powder — 1 1/2 tsp, brown sugar — 2 tbsp, cinnamon powder — 1/4 tsp, almonds — 6, blanched and slivered, salt — a pinch for taste

For the sauce:

Orange juice — 1/2 cup, honey — 3 tbsp, corn flour — 1 tbsp

Method:

To prepare cake, sift flour, baking powder and salt at least three times. Keep aside. Beat eggs well till stiff, add sugar gradually and beat till a frothy consistency. Add oil, a very little at a time and keep whisking. Next add orange juice and cinnamon powder. Add half of the flour and mix gently. Add the other half of the flour and mix well. Transfer to a greased ring mould. Sprinkle brown sugar and almonds on top. Place in the oven and bake at 180o C for 40 minutes. Mix all ingredients of the syrup and cook on low heat till it attains a coating consistency. Transfer the cooled cake to a serving dish. Prick lightly with a fork and pour the orange syrup over the cake. Serve.

Ingredients:

Orange jelly — 1 packet, orange juice — 1/2 cup, orange rind — 2 tsp, finely-grated, cream cheese — 1 cup, finely-mashed pineapple slices — 8, hot water — 1 cup, lemon juice — 1 tbsp, salt — 1/4 th tsp, fine sugar — 1 tbsp, mint sprigs — 8

Method:

Dissolve orange jelly in hot water and add lemon juice, 1/4th tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar. Let it cool and mix in cream cheese, orange juice, orange rind and blend well. Pour into eight small moulds and freeze till set. Drain pineapple slices and arrange one each on eight platters. Unmould each orange mould on the pineapple slices and decorate with whipped cream, orange segments and mint sprigs. Serve cold.

Ingredients:

Segmented oranges — 2, condensed milk — 1/2 tin, milk — 1 1/2 cups, cream — 1 cup, gelatin — 2 tsp, heaped corn flour — 1 tbsp, powdered sugar — 6 tsp, lemon juice — 4 tsp, orange essence — a few drops, orange colour — a few drops

Method:

Dissolve corn flour in 1/2 cup of milk. Heat one cup milk with sugar. Boil. Add corn flour to the boiling milk, stirring continuously. Cook till the back of the spoon starts being coated. Remove from heat, cool and add condensed milk. Mix gelatin in 1/2 cup water. Heat on slow fire till the gelatin dissolves. Mix the melted gelatin with the cooked condensed milk mixture. Put in the freezer till thick. Remove from freezer and beat well. Add cream, essence, colour, lemon juice and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish and freeze till set. Decorate with orange segments. Add a blob of cream with a dash of marmalade on top and serve chilled.