Adapted from Cook Fresh Magazine
You’re doing your darndest to stick to your health and fitness goals for 2013, but your resolve is beginning to wane… You have a dinner party planned and although chocolate cake and ice cream are definitely outside meal plan parameters, you need something sweet to serve.
This fresh and juicy platter has just enough caramel-y maple syrup to satisfy your cravings. Plus the orange, ginger and mint do double duty by staving off cold weather sniffles that threaten to take up permanent residence in your nasal cavity.
Ok, ok – some 70% dark chocolate might also go nicely with this…
Serves 5 to 6
Ingredients
5 seedless oranges (we used navel, also incorporate blood oranges if you can find them)
2 Tbsp finely chopped candied ginger
A little less than a ¼ cup maple syrup
10 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced (quick tip: use scissors!)
Method
1. Zest one of the large navel oranges to obtain 2-4 heaping teaspoons of zest.
2. Cut off the top and bottom of each orange and then slice away the rind, leaving only the juicy orange beneath. Compost the peels, but keep the ends of the oranges for now. Slice the oranges lengthwise into ¼ inch thick rounds. Remove the white pith from the centre of the slices and then cut each slice in half to make half moons. Arrange slices onto your favorite serving platter.
3. Mix the orange zest and the chopped ginger together and chop them once again, combining them well. Scatter orange/ ginger zest evenly over the orange slices.
4. In a small saucepan, put a ¼ cup maple syrup on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add a squeeze of orange juice (from the orange tops you’ve saved), and continue to stir until mixture froths and then thickens.
5. Drizzle maple syrup mix evenly over oranges and followed by a scattering of mint. Finish with another squeeze of orange juice from the tops and serve right away!
6. Serve with your fave dark chocolate (optional, but really not…)
