Flavour bombs: Mandarins

Mandarins have always been a Kiwi favourite. Most of us, at some time or another, were packed off to school with a couple in our lunchbox or were guilty of scoffing more than our fair share from the family fruit bowl.

Easy to peel and sweeter than their relative the orange, mandarins give a welcome flavour kick as autumn fruits come to an end and winter starts to take hold.

Most of New Zealand's commercial mandarins are grown in the North Island as, like all citrus, they prefer warmer climes and don't do well in cooler areas.

While most people tend to eat mandarins fresh, they can also be used in a variety of other ways and a Bellini is a fantastic way to begin a special occasion or meal. Essentially a pre-dinner drink made from Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) and fruit juice or fruit puree, a mandarin Bellini is refreshing and delicious.

For something small and fresh and packed with flavour, it's hard to beat a simple canape of caramelised Thai pork, prawn, palm sugar and mandarin.

For those looking for a meal with some real substance and depth of flavour, try slow-cooked pork with Chinese five-spice powder, soy sauce and mandarin.

And who could resist making easy mandarin cupcakes with soft icing and glace mandarin. Mandarins, perfect for kids of all ages!

---

---

MANDARIN BELLINI
Serves 6 to 8

18 medium mandarins
1 750ml bottle Prosecco

Juice mandarins and place juice into a large pouring jug.

Add 100ml Prosecco and stir with a spoon until bubbles and foam have died down.

Add remaining wine and pour into chilled champagne glasses.

---

---

EASY CUPCAKES WITH GLACE MANDARIN
Makes 10 cupcakes

125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
125g plain flour
2 free-range eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp mandarin juice

Glace mandarin
4 mandarins
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water

Soft icing
2 free-range egg whites
350g icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180degC. To make cupcakes, place butter, sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder and baking soda into a food processor and process until mixture is smooth. Add mandarin juice and mix to combine. Half fill 10 paper cupcake moulds and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

To make glace mandarin, peel mandarins with a potato peeler and place peel into a small pot with half a cup of sugar and half a cup of water. Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 2 minutes.

Strain and refresh peel with cold water, discarding cooking liquid, then repeat the cooking process 2 more times. On the final boil, continue boiling until liquid starts to reduce and caramelise. Allow to cool and remove from pot.

To make icing, whisk egg whites and icing sugar together in a mixing bowl on high speed for 5 minutes until thick and creamy. Ice cooled cupcakes and top with sliced glace mandarin.

---

---