Marchesi di San Giuliano Orange Slices in Syrup
Marchesi di San Giuliano Orange Slices in Syrup
Giulia di San Giuliano and her father run the estate, Marchesi di San Giuliano, which has been in the family for over 800 years. They grow all the citrus for their marmalades and preserves on the farm which sits at the base of a volcano in Sicily. For these beautiful preserved oranges, they pick ripe blood oranges, slice them into 1/4 inch rounds, blanch them briefly to remove some of the bitterness, gently caramelize the slices in sugar, and carefully stack them in a jar filled with a reduction of orange juice and simple syrup. The oranges are soft and sweet with flavors of caramel and vanilla, and just enough bitterness to balance the sugar. Eat this tasty citrus on its own or use it to dress up any holiday dessert! Place whole slices on pound cake and drizzle with syrup, spoon the rounds over vanilla ice cream, use pieces on top of a pavlova for extra grandeur, or place the oranges at the bottom of individual creme brûlées for a delightful surprise.