Normally I don't include recipes here that I haven't made myself at least a couple of times, stalwart recipe provider that I am, but this one is from Denis Cotter's wonderful cookbook Café Paradiso Seasons so I trust it absolutely. Cotter runs a vegetarian restaurant in Ireland (Café Paradiso, duh) and his dishes, at least as transcribed in Seasons, are out of this world. This is far and away my favorite cookbook ever. If cookbook marriage was legal in Minnesota Café Paradiso Seasons and I would have tied the knot a long time ago. As it is, we're living in sin, hiding from Republicans and the OED (my cookbook's former spouse) until a more enlightened day dawns in this state.
The reason for posting this recipe now is that my dear dear friend Marguerite, aka M2, scored a crate of clementines last night and divvied up the loot with me. The odd thing is that I don't believe I have ever had clementines before today. I'm not sure how this oversight occurred, but I sure like them lots. If the little peel bits would magically disappear on their own instead of strewing themselves all over my house clementines would be nature's perfect fruit. So I intend to prepare this recipe myself just as soon as I can make it all the way home with a bottle of Irish whiskey. It might be a while, so tell me how it turns out.
And by the way, you should sharpen a knife before preparing this dish. Really. Or call me and I'll bring one over, whatever works. I'll also help you finish off the leftover Irish whiskey. Woohoo! Party at your place!
Darling Clementines
(slightly adapted from Café Paradiso Seasons by Denis Cotter, p. 236)Ingredients:
12 clementines
18 oz. sugar
18 oz. water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
Peel the clementines, slice each one into 3 horizontal slices (across the segments), and put them in a bowl.
Heat the sugar, water, cinnamon and whiskey together until boiling, then simmer for 3 minutes. Pour this syrup over the clementines and leave them to cool to room temperature before serving.
Incidentally Cotter serves this with chocolate pecan pie and whiskey ice cream. If you want those recipes you should buy the book or wait six months until my next dessert recipe posting. Enjoy.
-- Hulles
