Using the Whole Tangerine – February 4, 2012

On January 16, 2012, The Herald Tribune published a story called, “Battling Against Food Waste.”  The story shared that according to a 2010 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization study, one-third of food (1.3 billion tons) is wasted each year.  According to a recent study by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, the average person in Europe and North America, wastes 620 to 660 pounds of food each year. This is not an environmental issue we hear a lot about, but it is certainly one we can impact rather easily. 

This week, I had been making popsicles with new popsicle makers I received as a Christmas gift.  My husband loves tangerine, so I made delicious popsicles with fresh squeezed tangerines and a bit of Splenda.  But, the Herald Tribune article inspired me to think about using the tangerine rinds as well.  I found the recipe below for sugared orange rinds, but used tangerine rind instead.  After they cooled, I dipped half in chocolate to eat as candy.  The other half I froze to pull out and use as a garnish on cupcakes or ice cream. 

Sugared Orange (or Tangerine) Rind

Peel of 4 oranges or 6 tangerines cut in strips

3 cups sugar

1 cup water

Peel the rind off the fruit with a peeler or knife and cut into strips.  Place peels in a heavy saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring water to boil then pour water off.  Do this three times total to soften the rinds and clean off any pesticides.  Put water and sugar in saucepan and bring to 230 degrees.  Add peel and reduce to simmer cooking 30-75 minutes until the peels are translucent.  Do not cook too high or the sugar water will crystallize.  Remove the rinds from the sugar-water and dry n racks.  You can roll the rinds in sugar at this time before cooling.  If you wish to dip in chocolate, wait until the rinds are fully cooled – 4 hours to two days.  Then, melt the chocolate and dip each rind in before lying on a cookie sheet and placing in the freezer until fully cooled.  You can keep the plain, sugared or chocolate covered rinds in the freezer until needed or store in air tight container to give as gifts.

Then, I found this great recipe for tangerine chess pie which I made and garnished with the sugared tangerine rind.  It was delicious.

Southern Living's Tangerine Chess Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust (or make your own)

1 ½ cups sugar

1 T. all-purpose flour

1 T. yellow cornmeal

¼ tsp. salt

¼ c. butter

2 tsp. tangerine or orange zest

1/3 c. fresh tangerine or orange juice

1 T. lemon juice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare 9 inch pie crust and crimp edges.  Prick bottom and sides with a fork.  Bake 8 minutes.  Cool and reduce oven to 350 degrees.  Whisk together remaining ingredients, in order.  Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes until center is set (shielding edges of crust with Reynolds wrap after 20 minutes to avoid burning.)  Cool one hour and garnish with sugared rind bits, tangerine slices and/or whipped cream.