Clementines for Christmas

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Clementines for Christmas

Having a good supply of juicy grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, and

clementines every December is refreshing and healthy. Perhaps you have

fruit baskets under your Christmas trees this morning.

Or maybe a friend sent you a dried fruit and nut tray. A supply of

dried fruits is great for snacking, to sprinkle on your cereal, or use

in baking cookies and quick breads or muffins.

Both fresh fruit and dried fruit make healthy treats. While dried

fruit has year-round availability, now is the time to buy citrus fruit

when it's at its peak.

A half of a grapefruit for breakfast is the perfect way to start the

day. Select heavy, thin-skinned grapefruits so you buy grapefruits

that are full with juice. To serve, cut each in half, section with a

grapefruit knife, and sprinkle each half with sugar. Let the halves

set for a few minutes for the sugar to sweeten the fruit before serving.

When I find the perfect tangerines in the produce section, I consider

it a stroke of good fortune. I like to buy the short-seasoned

tangerines just around this time of year. With its loose skin, the

tangerine seems so sweet and juicy.

Gaining in popularity are clementines, which, like tangerines, are a

type of mandarin orange. (Most canned mandarin oranges are made from

another variety, satsumas, which are originally from Japan.)

Ounce for ounce clementines are a good source of vitamin C, according

to Chow Line, an online publication of Ohio State University. The

average clementine is smaller than an orange. It has 36 mg of vitamin

C compared to 70 in a medium-sized orange. A medium-sized

half-grapefruit has 44 mg vitamin C, and a half-cup of raw pineapple

has 40 mg. An apple has less than 10 mg.

The recommended intake of vitamin C is 75 mg per day for women and 90

mg per day for men.

The clementine was named after Father Clement Rodier, a French

missionary, who was responsible for gardens in a small village in

Algeria around the turn of the 20th century. He discovered the hybrid.

In 1904 clementines were introduced to the United States and now more

than a dozen types are grown in California.

Many stores sell clementines from Spain, which are packaged in

five-pound wooden crates. Clementines from Spain have a thin peel

which is easy to remove. They are virtually seedless and have lots of

juice.

Clementines, whether they are from Spain or California, are a

portable, healthy, kid-friendly food that both parents and kids like.

Clementines from Spain offers these menu suggestions:

•Shortcakes. Cut baked biscuits or shortcakes in half and top the

bottom half with whipped cream or nondiary whipped topping and

clementine sections. Place remaining biscuit on top. Garnish with

confectioners' sugar.

• Beverages. For an after-school snack combine thawed frozen lemonade,

sectioned clementines, and ice in a blender. Puree until smooth and serve.

• Salsa. Combine 2 cups sectioned and halved clementines, 1 cup diced

tomato, 1/4 cup minced red onion, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh

cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice,

and salt and pepper to taste.

• Pasta Salad. Combine 1 pound cooked whole wheat spiral pasta, 1 cup

pitted Greek olives, 1 cup halved clementine sections, and 1/2 cup

crumbled feta cheese. For dressing, whisk together 1/2 cup clementine

or orange juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2

teaspoons chopped fresh dill, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Pour

mixture over pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

• Make Seasonal Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing. Recipe on page 2

of Rather's The Pastry Queen Christmas (10 Speed Press, $32.50).

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Kathie is The Blade's food editor.