Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Blood Orange Sauce

Blood oranges not only have a more vibrant, deeper color than regular oranges (such as Naval), but their flavor also is more intense as well. Blood oranges are slightly more bitter (although, at times, some varieties are even sweeter) than regular oranges.

In my opinion, blood oranges are oranges with a kick. This is one way to describe the difference between love and passion. Passion is love with a kick. And this kick can send you to the moon or send you into dark, bitter sections of yourself.

In chapter fourteen of The Baker’s Man, titled Blood Orange Sauce, Anna has allowed her passion to overpower her good judgment. The repercussions of her decision have fractured out from her the way one nick from a rock can cause an entire windshield to spiderweb and shatter.

But Lily believes Anna’s actions are forgivable. Will Tessa?

Crepes with Blood Orange Sauce

Serves 2; makes 6 crepes

Difficulty Level: Making crepes is like building a house with tissue paper; very difficult for the novice

Ingredients

For the crepes:

½ c plain flour, sifted

1 tbsp superfine sugar

2 eggs

½ c whole milk

½ c heavy cream

For the Blood orange sauce:

¼ cup superfine sugar

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp orange flavored liqueur (such as Cointreau)

½ cup blood orange juice, or 2 medium blood oranges

½ blood orange, sliced to roughly little more than half an inch thick

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp extra orange flavored liqueur

How to Make

To make the crepes:

Whisk eggs, milk, and cream in a large bowl until smooth and set aside.
Combine flour and sugar in another bowl and mix well.
Slowly add it into the egg mixture, whisking until the mixture is smooth and thickened.
Allow to stand for 20 minutes.
Heat a lightly greased round, flat and non-stick pan to low heat. (If you have crepe pan, that’s best, but I just used a regular flat frying pan.)
Pour 1/6 of the mixture slowly onto the pan and swirl to coat the bottom.
Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Gently turn using a large spatula and then cook for a further 1 minute or until just cooked.
Place on a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to prevent drying and to keep it warm.
Repeat steps 4-5 for remaining batter.
Fold crepes into quarters, set aside.

To make the Blood orange sauce:

Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until just combined and sugar is melted.
Increase heat to high and bring to the boil, without stirring, for roughly 4-5 minutes or until light golden. Swirling the mixture when the edges are caramelized. (You’re essentially making caramel here).
Add in 2 tsp orange liqueur, mix, and cook for further 30 seconds.
Add Blood orange juice, stir through and bring to the boil.
Add in Blood orange slices and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the rind is translucent.
Add the butter and extra liqueur to the mixture, and stir through until the mixture is thickened and glossy.
Serve crepes hot with the Blood orange sauce and top with candied Blood orange slices.
Dust with icing sugar.