Five ways with . . . Mandarins

Published on Sunday 27 December 2009 10:46

MANDARIN oranges are native to China, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. They were held in such high regard that they attained the 'rank' of mandarin, reflecting their status within the cultural circles of the Chinese imperial court.

Their seeds were a popular gift to early visitors. It was not until the 19th century, however, that they travelled west to Europe, through the port of Tangier, which is where they picked up the name tangerine.

Other popular varieties include the Japanese satsuma and the usually seedless clementine, which is cultivated in north Africa and Spain. They have a relatively short season, between November and January, hence their popularity at Christmas. The other main features of this small oblate member of the orange family are their sweet taste and ease of peeling.

In common with all citrus fruits, they are extremely high in vitamin C and fibre. Choose fruit that is heavy for its size and free from blemishes. Bright colour is not always an indication of quality, as some are dyed, while others naturally have green patches even when fully ripe. Store in the fridge to extend their shelf life for up to two weeks.

1 Mandarin sweet and sour chicken 50g butter; 50g soft brown sugar; 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce; 60ml cider vinegar; 200g mandarin segments; 200g apricots; 1 free-range chicken

Melt the butter in a pan and add the sugar. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Add the teriyaki sauce and vinegar and cook, stirring until everything is combined. Add the mandarins and apricots and continue to cook, stirring until the fruit is soft and you have a jam-like consistency. Let the sauce cool.

Prepare the chicken and season the inside with salt and pepper (or cut into portions if you prefer). Put the chicken into a roasting pan and cover with the sauce. Cover with foil and roast in a pre-heated 180C/350F/gas 4 oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and return the chicken to the oven for a further 15 minutes to let the skin crisp. Rest for ten minutes before serving.

2 Rocket, fennel, apple and mandarin salad Dressing: 60ml olive oil; 1 shallot, minced; 1 lemon, juiced and zest finely grated; tsp caster sugar; salt; pepper. Salad: 1 large fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced; 2 apples, quartered, cored and cut into matchsticks; 200g rocket, washed and dried; 2 mandarins, peeled and cut crosswise into three slices; sesame seeds,to garnish

Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or shake in a clean screw-top jar. Combine the fennel and apple in a bowl and add about 3 tablespoons of the dressing and mix through thoroughly. Put the rocket into a large bowl. Add the apple mixture and toss, adding more dressing to taste. Divide the rocket salad between six plates and serve topped with the mandarin and sesame seeds.

3 Tangerine curd 125ml tangerine juice; 60ml lemon juice; finely grated zest of 2 tangerines; 125g butter; 100g sugar; 8 egg yolks

In a saucepan, combine the juices, zest, butter and sugar together and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until pale in colour. Still beating, pour in a quarter of the boiling liquid from the pan, then return the pan to the hob and reduce the heat to low. Beat the yolk mixture back into the liquid in the pan and continue beating for about two minutes, until the mixture thickens. Do not let it boil or it will curdle. Pour into a clean bowl, cover, cool and chill.

4 Mandarin sorbet 175g sugar; 250ml water; 625ml fresh mandarin juice (about 12 fruit); 90ml fresh lime juice

Make sugar syrup by whisking the sugar and water together in a pan over a medium heat until the sugar has all dissolved. Bring to the boil for about 30 seconds and cool completely.

In a bowl, combine the syrup and citrus juices, adding more lime juice if the mix is too sweet. Strain through a fine meshed sieve into another bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Churn the mixture in an ice-cream maker until frozen or freeze in a plastic container for four hours, then process in a food processor. Return to the freezer for two hours and reprocess, then repeat again.

5 Mandarin, lychee and mint fruit salad 4 mandarins; 1 can lychees, drained, syrup reserved; 15g mint leaves, chopped; natural yoghurt to serve

Peel and segment the mandarins and put into a bowl with the lychees and set aside. Put the syrup from the lychees into a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes and it has reduced to about 80ml. Pour over the fruit, add the mint and toss to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop. Serve with natural yoghurt.

A version of this article first appeared in Scotland on Sunday on December 27