Ask the Pseudo-Chef: I Have Tangerines and You Don't

Dear Pseudo-Chef,

I have a surplus of tangerines from our tree and I'm wondering if you've got any suggestions as to what I could do with them (and I mean recipes...). --Sis, HI

First of all, thanks for rubbing it in.  Second of all, thanks for stealing my joke, which was obviously going to be to stick them where the sun don’t shine.  Which, apparently, is nowhere on Hawaii, least of all your sun-kissed organic parcel of burgeoning paradise.  Thirdly, I’m not sure if you noticed, with the occasional freaky earthquake and the streams of lava flowing through your yard, but you live on an ACTIVE VOLCANO.  Enjoy the eatin’ while you still can.

However, since we’d still like to come visit you someday, here are a few recipe ideas.  You may recall that I mentioned a particularly good ham with tangerine chutney that I made a few Christmases back.  I hereby declare this to still be a good idea.  Maybe not on ham, but on one of those succulent, pit-roasted pigs you must certainly prepare each and every day at your own personal luau.  (Good call on dropping that vegetarian monkey on your back, by the way.)

Since you islanders also seem to like your fish, how about a tangerine-vanilla sauce for fresh mahi-mahi, opakapaka, or akuama’amakumukalakala, for example, courtesy of fellow food blog Cooking With Amy.

Of course, there’s always tangerine marmalade.  Peel off the skin in large pieces, and boil for 10 minutes.  Soak in cold water overnight, then drain and chop thinly.  Great grandma used to make preserves of all kinds by boiling fresh-squeezed fruit juice with equal parts sugar uncovered until thick (at least 20 minutes).  This will also work here.  Just add the peels to the tangerine juice before boiling, and check the thickness of the hot marmalade by spooning some out onto a plate and letting it cool.  You may need to go longer.  Store in sterilized jars.  And by sterilize, I mean boiling the jars for a few minutes, letting them dry, and somehow resisting the urge to then pee in them.

Or a simple tangerine sorbet.

Anyone else like to chime in?

Comments

[Sister]

AWESOME! I'm all for the sorbet being as there are only 2 ingredients and as many steps. My kind of recipe. I had also been thinking about marmalade but had no idea how. Now I do! You're the best. Thanks Pseudo-Chef! PS - the sun ain't shinin' now and we've been having hurricane force winds for 3 days. Almost blew me into one of the lava flows in the yard...

[Dad]

And remember, Care packages to Dad are always welcome!