Asian Oranges (Oranges A L'orientale) Recipe

This is Fredy Girardet's adaptation of an old recipe. It was traditionally made with whole oranges peeled down to the flesh ... but the skin left between the segments always spoiled it. Peel the zest from the oranges in long strips, taking as little of the pith as possible. Cut the zest into very, very fine julienne strips. Remove the pith in vertical strips to expose the flesh of the oranges. Then, holding the oranges over a strainer with a bowl beneath to catch all the juice, cut each segment away from the membranes which divide one from another, and from the central core of pith. Squeeze all the discarded membranes to extract every drop of juice, if any flesh remains on them, and add in it to the already collected juice. Blanch the julienned zest in bouling water for 1 minute. Refresh in cool water and drain in a sieve. Put the sugar into a large, wide saucepan and cook over a moderate, steady heat till the sugar melts and becomes a light golden brown color. Add in the collected orange juice and, stirring to mix well, cook till the liquid has the consistency of a light syrup. Add in the julienned zest to the sysrup, as well as the liqueur and the grenadine syrup. If a scum forms, remove it with a spoon as if you were making jam. Bring it briefly to the boil. Add in the orange segments and shake the pan well so which they all absorb the syrup. They should be warm, but they shouldn't be allowed to cook. Set the pan aside. Add in another drop of liqueur to the pan. Serving: Arrange the segments on four plates to look like stars. Coat them with the sysrup and decorate with the julienned zests. Alternatively: Serve the oranges in a fruit dish, with a selection of some other fruit desserts. /FRUIT