Olive Oil Orange Cake

Ingredients

1T butter, room temperature

1T all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1T baking powder

1T orange zest

3T orange juice

¾ cup good quality olive oil

2/3 cup milk

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

4 oranges, peeled, sliced into ½ moons

2T granulated sugar

4T Cointreau or Grand Marnier

1. Preheat oven to 325º F. Using the 1T butter and 1T flour, grease and flour the bottom and sides of a10-inch angel food or Bundt cake pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until light in color.

3. With the mixer on low, add the flour, baking powder, orange zest, juice, olive oil and milk; mix just until combined. Do not over mix! Use a spatula to finish combining, if needed. (Mixture will look lumpy similar to muffin batter)

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, and then turn onto cooling rack to cool completely

5. When completely cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

6. In a small bowl, toss the orange slices, sugar and liqueur let sit for 10 minutes. Serve with cake.

Tips & Tricks:

• I love this cake because it’s so versatile. It’s just sweet enough to end a meal, but perfect to start your day with or as a pick-me-up with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Top it with macerated fruit. I used blood oranges, but you could use regular oranges, tangerines, or substitute the oranges and use berries (about 2 cups). You can add a dollop of whipped cream, ice cream or yogurt to make it extra special.

• You can substitute the orange zest and juice for lemons, especially Meyer lemons are great in this cake.

• Use an olive oil that has a nice fruity flavor. I prefer Italian or boutique olive oil from Napa or Temecula Calf are lovely, some are infused with citrus and add a nice additional citrus punch.

Duck Breast with Honey & Oranges

Ingredients

2 duck breasts (4 pieces) 
4 oranges, either cara cara or navel
3T soy sauce
2T olive oil oil
2T honey
3T red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper
½ cup Moscato Wine
2 T butter, cold

1.    Zest one orange, then cut it in half and juice it. Measure out ½ cup of juice, and pour into a small bowl. Add the zest, set aside.

2.    With the remaining 3 oranges, use a knife to cut off the top and bottom of the oranges.

3.    Working from top to bottom, use your knife to remove the peel and the white membrane from the orange. Use your knife to make 2 small cuts to remove the flesh from each small section. Place into a bowl. Repeat with remaining oranges. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to make sauce.

4.    Whisk in the soy sauce, oil, honey, and vinegar to the orange juice.   Pour into a gallon-sized zip-lock bag, add the duck breasts, and seal. Marinate for 8 hours in the refrigerator.

5.    Remove the duck breasts from the marinade. Reserve the marinade.

6.    Pat the duck breasts dry with a paper towel.

7.    With a knife, make several diagonal cuts/scores into the fat/skin side, making sure not to cut all the way though the meat.

8.    Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper.

9.    In a large sauté pan over medium heat, place the duck breasts fat/ skin side down. Cook until the fat melts and the skin browns, about 8-10 minutes.

10.    Remove the duck breasts from the pan, placing them on a plate. Pour off the fat.

11.    Return the duck breasts to the pan and cook skin side up for an additional 5-7 minutes for medium rare.

12.    Remove the duck breasts from the pan and place on a platter. Cover loosely with foil and let rest while you make the sauce.

13.    Pour off any remaining fat from the pan.

14.    Add the wine to the pan. Deglaze the pan by stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes so that it reduces slightly.

15.    Add the reserved marinade, and turn the heat to high. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened.

16.    Remove the sauce from the heat. Swirl in the  cold butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add the orange sections.

17.    Place the duck breasts on a cutting board. Pour any drippings that had collected on the platter into the sauce. Then, thinly slice the duck breast at an angle and place back on the platter. Drizzle some of the sauce on top of the meat. Serve extra sauce on the side. Serve immediately. 

TIPS & TRICKS

•    Cara cara oranges have a sweet and tangy taste as well as a beautiful red flesh.
•    It will take 20-25 minutes for the duck and sauce to cook. 
•    The duck breast has the texture of red meat, so cook it until it’s medium rare. Remember that it continues to “cook” as it rests. 
•    The meat is very rich in flavor, so even though the breasts are small one per person is enough.
•    Serve with roasted potatoes.