Adding Citrus to Your Summertime Cookout

We have determined that every day is cookout day in Central Florida. And Central Florida citrus is a natural flavor for barbecues. But when the trees are bare, we have to turn to juices and jams to keep the home fires tasty.
Frozen orange juice concentrate, invented in the 1940s, was a boon to kids all over because it meant they didn’t have to drink that tinny-tasting stuff from big cans. Oh, that was awful. My mother used to buy unsweetened orange and grapefruit mix and serve it like it was something special. Kids drank it for the health benefits, definitely not the taste, with about the same relish we saved for castor oil. Juice from concentrate changed all that and, though freshly squeezed and pasteurized is where it’s at today, concentrate still comes in handy.
Jams and marmalades are another barbecue option for summer. About the easiest citrus dish from the grill is chicken wings with a marmalade dip or glaze. A recipe isn’t needed, just a little imagination.
FOR THE DIP/GLAZE: melt a third of a cup of marmalade per person, any flavor you like, in a pot on a side burner. Dilute it with an equal amount of water and add spices as it melts. Finely chopped ginger works well. Candied ginger works even better. Simmer the mixture to infuse the bright flavors. Use cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, allspice berries, freshly grated nutmeg— whatever you like works.
CFAN TIP! If you want a glaze, don’t add water. Just melt and brush the wings. The same coating is great on legs and breasts. And don’t forget to use some on pork.
A trip to Davidson’s of Dundee on Highway 27 is in order if you don’t have a stash of citrus marmalades and jams to spark your imagination.
Kids can go through a lot of drinks on a hot day. Some nutrition pundits are on their soap boxes about the calories and sugar in orange juice. Knock the wind out of their sails by diluting orange juice with an equal amount of water. Calories are cut by 50 percent.
Adults can also dilute the OJ, but white wine is tastier than water. Use chilled sparkling wine and you have a Mimosa. Chilling everything keeps the bubbles in.
Who would have thought of using coffee in barbecue sauce? The folks at Intentional Hospitality, that’s who. Here comes that marmalade again. Mix some with coffee and a few other things and simmer for 45 minutes. Use on pork, chicken, beef or fish.

Spicy Citrus and Coffee Barbecue Sauce

1 cup very strong coffee
2 cups ketchup
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1½ cups brown sugar
1 cup citrus marmalade
3 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
Hot sauce to taste
Combine ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cool to room temperature before using. Leftovers will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Yields 5 cups. Recipe courtesy of Intentional Hospitality

Dessert can be more than watermelon, though local watermelon is great on a hot day. Here’s a Bundt-shape citrus cake recipe adapted from a recipe by Trisha Yearwood.

Chocolate Orange Cake

For the cake:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups Florida orange juice
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make a paste from the butter and 1 tablespoon cocoa. Coat the inside of a Bundt pan. With a mixer, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and remaining ½ cup cocoa. Add the juice, yogurt, vinegar, and vanilla and mix until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the chocolate glaze: Mix sugar and cocoa. Whisk in the orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a good consistency to drizzle. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons Florida orange juice

FOR THE DIP/GLAZE: melt a third of a cup of marmalade per person, any flavor you like, in a pot on a side burner. Dilute it with an equal amount of water and add spices as it melts. Finely chopped ginger works well. Candied ginger works even better. Simmer the mixture to infuse the bright flavors. Use cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, allspice berries, freshly grated nutmeg— whatever you like works.
CFAN TIP! If you want a glaze, don’t add water. Just melt and brush the wings. The same coating is great on legs and breasts. And don’t forget to use some on pork.

 

Adapted from Trisha’s Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced Life

CREDIT:  TRENT ROWE, Food Editor