I came down with a bit of a cold a couple of days ago, so having something citrussy that was also rich in Vitamin C, was a good excuse as any to make a dessert!

This recipe for a simple way to glam up orange slices, is so easy that I’m almost embarrassed to be talking about it. The details come from Alice Medrich’s latest book, but I have also used a similar technique in the past to bathe oranges and whole peeled mandarins in caramel syrup, as a garnish for other desserts.

The simplest way to serve these orange slices once they are chilled, would be on their own, perhaps in a fancy glass. Or paired with a small scoop of ice-cream or a dollop of thick, luscious yogurt, if you want to take it a step further.

To venture into special-occasion territory, you can even use the chilled orange slices as a companion to a creamy, wobbly pannacotta or as a garnish for a dessert like the one pictured below. The juicy orange bits, flavoured with lavender buds, add a burst of flavour in the mouth, when paired with an orange cardamom ice-cream rolled in a thin cocoa-walnut sponge. The roll of sponge is, in turn, coated in cocoa powder and it’s sides covered with crunchy nougatine.

These refreshing, syruppy, perfumey, caramelly oranges are my contribution to SHF #43, hosted by Tartlette.

Chilled Oranges in Rum Caramel Syrup :
(serves 8; from Pure Desserts by Alice Medrich)

8 good eating oranges, preferably organic or unsprayed
1/4 to 1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup sugar
[I also added 2 teaspoons of lavender buds to the macerating orange slices]

Zest 2 of the oranges, using a zester or Microplane to make fine shreds. Set aside.

Use a sharp knife to remove the skin and all of the white membrane from all of the oranges. Cut the oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove any seeds. Arrange in a shallow serving dish, drizzel the rum over the oranges, and sprinkle with the zests. Set aside.

Make the caramel in a dry pan by heating gently until the sugar begins to melt into a clear syrup. Continue cooking the syrup evenly until it starts to darken. When this caramel is a reddish amber colour, or the colour of medium-dark honey, immediately pour it over the orange slices. The oranges may be prepared at this point and kept, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days. If you serve the oranges after a brief chilling, some of the caramel will have hardened into a thin brittle layer on top of the oranges, providing a pleasing crunch. Lengthier chilling will melt the caramel completely, bathing the oranges in sweet rummy caramel syrup without a crunchy layer. The choice is yours.

Lucky me, Cakelaw has bestowed me with the Arte y Pico Award. If you must know, I can’t remember when the last time was that I won an award. Probably back in school, where they handed out encouragement awards like they were candy.

The rules behind this award are as follows:

1. Pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4. Award-winner and the one who has given the award have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. Award winner must show these rules.

In turn, I would like to pass this award on to the following blogs : Susan of Chocolatesuze, Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen (truly one of the most tasty looking blogs out there), Eva of Sweet Sins, Aran of Cannelle et Vanille (I’m aware you already have this award, Aran, but you know how much I like your blog 🙂 ), and last but certainly not least, Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella.

Thanks for the great reads and eyecandy, guys. Have some biscuits while you’re here… 🙂

Nibby Whole Wheat Sables :
(makes about 48 x 2-inch cookies; from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich)

127g plain flour
113g whole wheat flour
225g unsalted butter, softened
120g sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup cacao nibs

Whisk the plain flour and whole wheat flours together. Set aside. In a medium bowl, with the back of a large spoon or with an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar, salt and vanilla for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy but not fluffy. Mix in the cacao nibs, then add the flour and mix just until incorporated. Scrape the dough into a mass and, if necessary, knead it with your hands a few times, just until smooth.

Form the dough into a 12 x 2-inch log. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or, preferably, overnight.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 176’C. Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on trays lined with baking paper.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking. Let the cookies firm up on the trays for about 1 minute, then transfer them to a rack and let cool completely.

The cookies are delicious fresh but are even better the next day. They can be stored in an airtight container for at least 1 month.

[Note: A good variation to the good biscuit, is to mix in 4 teaspoons (or more, depending on your preference) of Japanese green tea powder (matcha) into the butter mix instead of the cacao nibs, then proceed as normal. For presentation, press a few black sesame seeds into the top of each sliced biscuit before baking.]

(Picture above: B kindly demonstrates the best way to enjoy a coffee cup chocolate from Belle Fleur)

Of the many fine shops on Darling Street, Adriano Zumbo’s patisserie is a permanent fixture on my must-visit list. Now, the Belle Fleur chocolate shop is on it’s way to becoming a favourite too. I love Belle Fleur’s chocolates, but had never visited their shop until now. A quick detour before my cake class during the weekend, led to me being a little late for my class because I got side tracked by the lovely displays of chocolate – from the exquisite truffles and moulded chocolates at the glass counter, to the showpiece chocolates such as the telescope and giant hamburger.

It’s a lovely little shop decked out in warm tones, with slick displays. The welcoming look of the interior is unfortunately not quite echoed by the service, which was rather perfunctory, though to be fair, I was there at a rather ungodly hour of the morning. Too early, to be thinking, “chocolate”, perhaps. Forgive me if I’m being too critical, but I think Willy Wonka has permanently tainted my idea of the perfect chocolate shop. If the lady behind the counter had been friendlier, I suspect she would have successfully talked me into selecting an even larger box of chocolates (I’m very easily swayed in that regard).

As it stands, I picked a selection to fill a small gift box. The coffee cup chocolate consisted of three layers : a dark ganache on the base, a milkier ganache in the middle, and the white “cappuccino foam” on top. Very pretty and tasty, though not as strongly flavoured as I had expected.

The next day, I turned right onto Darling Street and hit Adriano Zumbo’s shop. Again, another early morning visit, so I was the only one in the shop and had plenty of time to browse. I had resolved to walk away with only one item because B and I had recently been suffering from a glut of desserts (horrifying but true), and settled on one that I had been meaning to try – a nut coated chocolate number with a paddle pop stick poking out of it’s side. It looks a bit like a Golden Gaytime (a chocolate mousse and honeycomb version of the Gaytime wouldn’t be such a bad idea, would it?). I’d forgotten it’s name and would have quite happily referred to it as the One with the Unpronounceable Name, except Lorraine has already reminded me that it’s called Maxiadz. The Maxiadz was two discs of chocolate dacquoise sandwiching chocolate mousse and a creamy raspberry filling. It was very flavoursome, yet light at the same time. Delicious!

Also spotted while on the way to Belle Fleur : a cute selection of mini cupcakes from a bake shop whose name I have forgotten…The Stroppy Streudel..? Can anyone refresh my memory?

Belle Fleur Fine Chocolates
658 Darling Street
Rozelle 2039.

Adriano Zumbo Patissier
296 Darling St
Balmain 2041.