Erin FoxErin Fox offers a way to use up the piles of oranges around the house after Christmas
We always have piles of oranges to use up in the house after Christmas – they are such a typical Christmassy snack and yet I probably eat more of the chocolate ones over the holidays!
After two weeks of indulging in festive snacks, this light and juicy orange and vanilla jelly is just the treat to have and it will give you a boost of much needed vitamin C over the next two bitterly cold months. Try this recipe using blood oranges when they come into season or lemons and limes. You can always combine lemons with the oranges (while omitting the vanilla sugar and replacing it with ordinary caster) for a St Clement’s jelly!
For the vanilla sugar, split open two vanilla pods and place them in a large jar. Pour 500g of golden caster sugar into the jar and leave for at least one week before using. If you can’t wait that long before making the jelly you can add one teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract instead.
You’ll need about 600ml of orange juice for this. Getting all of the juice out of the small oranges can be tricky so you can just peel away the pith, whizz them up in the blender and then strain the juice through a sieve for a clear jelly.
If using large oranges, keep the halves and place them on a tray as an optional serving idea. You will need:
- 600ml orange juice.
- 50g (two ounces) vanilla sugar.
- Six sheets leaf gelatine.
Method
First, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes. Place the orange juice with the sugar in a pan over a medium low heat until the sugar dissolves, taking care it doesn’t boil – if it does, the gelatine will not set as well. Once the gelatine leaves are done, remove from the bowl and squeeze out any excess water. Stir into the warm orange juice.
Strain the juice again through a sieve into a wide jug. Allow to cool a little and then pour the jelly into the orange halves and place in the fridge until just set. This will take about four hours or you can make the jellies in advance and leave them to set overnight. You can always pour the mixture into one big bowl or, if you’re having a party, pour it into separate plastic wine glasses with an orange wedge on the side.
Serving suggestion:top with cream, fresh raspberries and orange segments. Or if you can’t get enough of them, grate a wedge of chocolate orange and sprinkle the shavings over the top of the cream.