Eat Well & Prosper Love, Oranges & Valentines Day


by Executive Chef Ron Skaar of Redwing, Mn. ~ ronskaar@comcast.net T


here are several viewpoints regarding the history of Valentines Day. One story,


has a third century physician and gastronomist named Valentine who made medicine more palatable, by mixing them with herbs, spices, honey, orange water and wine. He apparently fell in love with one of his royal patients af- ter


having


converted to be a Christian priest. He was executed on February 14th aſter sending a note to the girl signed “from your Valentine”. Others believe the holiday


stems from the Roman festival of Lupercalia which fell on Feb- ruary 15th. Te Roman god of fertility, named Faunus, was cel- ebrated this day to insure preg- nancy and easy births. One of the customs was for young ladies to write love letters, which would be drawn by single men. Tese men subsequently courted these la- dies with giſts including the new


orange fruit brought from the east to the empire. Te orange blossoms ability to


bear flowers and produce fruit has also represented fertility since ancient times. Trough the centuries, brides have always worn some kind of head- dress during the marriage ceremony. O r a nge b los s oms were origi- nally worn in


ancient China where they were emblems of purity, chastity and innocence. In


around 2113 BC, oranges were offered as a rare giſt to Chinese emperor Tayun. During the crusades oranges


were brought from the east and spread throughout Europe. Louis XIV ordered orange trees


planted at Versailles where on special occasions the blossoms were used to decorate the Hall of Mirrors. A century later, at the marriage of President John Quincy Adam’s middle son, the bride “looked very hansom in


white satin, orange blossoms and pearls”. Bouquets and tiaras made with


fragrant orange blossoms were a favorite of brides during the Victorian era. Aſter Queen Victoria wore orange blossoms at her 1840 wedding it be- came de rigueur for all brides to wear them, if they could afford it. Te influence


became so


indoctrinated into the culture that the phrase “to gather orange blossoms” took the meaning “to seek a wife”! Te orange was introduced to


the new world by early Spanish explo r er s. Tey


started


cultivation, in South A m er ic a, on an island off the Sao Paulo


coast.


Int roduced in


thru


America traders


in New Orle- ans and then on to Florida. Te Francis- can monks were the first to bring the orange


In around 2113 BC, oranges were


seed to present day California. Today Brazil, Florida and California combine to pro- duce most of the worlds orange crop. During the 1940’s the


offered as a rare gift to Chinese...


USDA along with the Florida Citrus Com- mission developed fro- zen orange juice concen- trate. Tis product was shipped to war torn Eu- rope to provide needed


nutrients to mothers and chil- dren. Besides being a rich source of vitamin C, the fruit also con- tains folic acid, vitamin B6, fla- vonoids, pectin and dietary fiber. Oranges con- tain a signifi- cant amount of minerals plus antioxi- dants to help control high blood pres- sure, heart disease, con- stipation and stomach ul- cer!


Tis is the time of year


where the ability to pick a fresh orange off the tree in the back- yard is a pure pleasure. Te Fine- Cooking.com recipe to the right might hit your Valentine’s culi- nary spot plus snare a blue rib- bon at the upcoming Citrus Fair.


TM


February 2019


EW & P Recipe


Pound Cake


Glazed Orange


8 oz. unsalted butter, softened 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 4 naval oranges 3 large eggs


2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour


1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 ½ tsp. baking powder + ¾ tsp. salt


1 ¼ cups powdered sugar


Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees, butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan, line the bottom with parch- ment paper and then butter the paper. Finely grate 2 Tbs. zest from oranges and squeeze them to yield 1 cup juice. Set aside ¼ cup juice. Whisk flour, baking powder and ½ tsp. salt. In large bowl using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time un-


til incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl. Add vanilla, or- ange zest and on low speed alternately add flour plus ¾ cup orange juice in 3 additions. Scrape batter into the pre-


pared pan and tap pan on counter to pop any air bubbles. Bake for 1¼ hour(check w/ toothpick inserted in middle). Let cool for 10 minutes, run knife along the sides and invert on rack, remove parchment and invert again. Whisk the reserved ¼ cup orange juice with the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, until smooth. Set warm cake on parchment, with toothpick poke holes across top of cake ¾’ers of the way down. Repeatedly brush the glaze over the top and sides of cake until gone. Let cool before slic- ing and serving. Serves 8.


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Not a Bragatorial...a story of: Limit 500 words & your best photo! 4 • February 2019 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” ~ Oprah Winfrey


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