Broiled Oranges with Cardamom Syrup. Maple Glazed Pecans.

Anyone visiting the Nebraska Knoll sugarhouse may note the bag of oranges on the blue counter. We all snack on oranges since they juicily offset the pore-pervading maple bouquet. The citrus cuts the sweet.

Maple Trout Lilli ventures into the realm of maple and orange with a fresh sense of the possible (and the elegant).

She writes: 

FOUR THOUSAND years ago the Egyptians used cardamom medicinally to treat indigestion, bad breath, and asthma. Nowadays you’ll find it in many Middle Eastern and Indian foods, both sweet and savory.  And that’s just a little background on this spice that the following recipe uses.  Mixed w/maple sugar, vanilla and a little butter, cardamom makes for quite an extraordinary flavor.  Use on anything you would pour syrup on.

BROILED ORANGES WITH CARDAMOM SYRUP

3 tablespoon maple sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 medium oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
¼ Cup chopped pistachios

1. Preheat broiler to high and move rack to upper third of oven;
   
2. Line baking sheet w/foil;
3. Mix maple sugar and cardamom in a bowl.  Transfer1 tablespoon to a small saucepan;
4. With a sharp knife, remove skin and white pith from 5 oranges and slice into 2 inch rounds and sprinkle w/remaining cardamom/sugar.  Broil 5-10 minutes or until the edges start to Brown.
5. Meanwhile, zest and juice the remaining orange.  Add zest, 1/3 cup of the juice and vanilla to the sugar in the saucepan.  Bring to a boil over med-high heat and cook until reduced by half 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in butter.
6. Transfer orange slices to a platter and drizzle with syrup.  Top w/pistachios.

-MTL

[EDITOR’S NOTE: I prepared the sauce by itself, substituting 2 T. maple syrup for the maple sugar with good results.]

 Here is another way to caramelize maple syrup or sugar. Deb Taylor of Sterling Valley, Stowe shares this recipe for a snack that’s easy to make and even easier to gobble up.

3 INGREDIENTS – 3 MINUTES TO – MAPLE GLAZED PECANS

2 cups Pecans
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat a dry skillet over médium high heat.  Add pecans, syrup and salt.  Cook, stirring frequently until syrup is caramelized and nuts are toasted (3 minutes).  Cool.