Caramelized Citrus Recipes

Steps:

• Using a small, sharp knife, cut off the tops and bottoms of the oranges and grapefruit, then slice the peel off them vertically, taking care to remove all the white pith below the skin of the fruit.
• Spoon the yogurt onto a platter or into a large bowl. Turn each fruit on its side, then slice it into rounds that are between 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch thick. Place the sliced fruit on top of the yogurt in an attractive pattern, then place the platter or bowl into the refrigerator.
• Make the caramel. Put the sugar in a large sauté pan set over medium heat, then add to it 1/2 cup or 125 milliliters of water, and swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture come slowly to a boil, without stirring, then lower heat slightly, and cook until the syrup has gone a very deep amber color, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add the saffron to the caramel and swirl to mix it in.
• Pour the caramel over the sliced fruit. Return to the refrigerator for an hour or so, or serve right away.

Steps:

• Place a sieve over a medium bowl. Hold an orange over the bowl, and using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and let them fall into the sieve. Repeat with the grapefruit. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl to extract as much juice as possible, reserving the juices in the bottom of the bowl. Place the fruit segments and fennel in a salad bowl.
• In a blender or the bowl of a small food processor, blend together the oil, basil and 3 tablespoons of the reserved juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour over the fruit and fennel. Add the chopped walnuts and toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Steps:

• In a small pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add the tapioca pearls and simmer gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the tapioca is softened and almost all the way translucent, 12 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and allow the tapioca to steam and cook through completely, 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover it and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can prepare the tapioca up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
• Wash out the pot and pour in the coconut milk. Add the lemongrass, the ginger and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Bring up to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and zest the lime into the milk. Allow the infused milk to steep while you prepare the fruit and the caramel.
• Remove the tops and bottoms of the citrus by cutting the ends with a sharp knife so each fruit sits flat on your work surface. Cut the citrus peels off into strips, running your knife down the length of the fruit and carefully removing the white pith as you slice. Cut each fruit crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and remove any visible seeds.
• Make a caramel: Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium. Add the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar melts and forms a light golden syrup, 5 to 7 minutes. Cook the syrup until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more, lowering the heat slightly if necessary to avoid scorching. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons maple syrup, squeeze in the juice of the lime and add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Remove from heat and carefully add the fruit, a couple of pieces at a time, swirling the pan to coat the pieces in syrup. The hot syrup may bubble and splatter, so be careful here. If the caramel forms hard clumps around the citrus slices, return the skillet to heat over medium-low and continue to cook, swirling the caramel around the citrus pieces, until any hard clumps dissolve, 2 minutes.
• Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the coconut milk into a medium bowl, pressing down on the aromatics in the sieve before discarding.
• To serve, scoop a few spoonfuls of the tapioca into shallow bowls. Ladle the infused coconut milk over the top, add several slices of citrus and spoon in some of the caramel glaze. Drizzle with some maple syrup and garnish with the crushed pistachio, if using.