Spring is here! Tis the season for Blood Oranges. We love them because they are kind of risqué. After a refreshing taste in our recent Cosmo at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (see Sugar Mommas Vegas Field Trip blog, coming soon) we were reminded how delicious and juicy they are. The name makes the oranges sound intriguing and peculiar. We decided to create a recipe using these little devils, which we must admit, is quite mouth-watering. Make a batch and don’t tell anyone what the flavor is. The taster would have to be quite an epicurean to guess the zing and the zest.

To prepare the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold
1 teaspoon blood orange zest, finely grated

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or foil horizontally and then vertically. Make sure to leave overhang. You will use these pieces to lift and remove the squares after baking.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Pour the dry mixture into the blender. Cut the butter into small pieces. Add the pieces of butter and blood orange zest to the blender. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly and forms a loose ball. Remove from blender and press the crust into the bottom of the square pan. Bake for 28 to 33 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool. Do not overcook.

To prepare the Blood Orange filling:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon blood orange zest, finely grated
1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice, strained
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder. Set aside. Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip on high speed until they are foamy. Reduce the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar mixture. Fold in the zest and then the blood orange juice. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Place the dish in the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is firm. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Gently lift parchment or foil of out the pan and place on a wire rack. When the bars have cooled completely, cut into squares. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Sass it up: Cut thin slices of blood oranges and place them gently on top of the filling mixture before cooking. They will bake into the dough and make a nice presentation.

Alter the juice in the recipe so that it is 1/4 cup blood orange juice and 1/4 cup pomegranate juice for a sweeter treat.

If you want to really shock your guests, fold in 1-2 drops of red food coloring to the mixing bowl after adding the juice. On second thought, keep that trick up your sleeve for Halloween and tell the kids you made BLOOD BARS!

Clearly our parenting style is shock & awe. (kidding…..)

Second Grade Science Project!

Our second grade Little Sugar (age 8) conducted a science experiment turning cream into butter. He put heavy whipping cream into a container with a lid and then added a marble and shook it vigorously. After 20 minutes, he created whipped cream.

After 40 minutes it became butter. We took photos of the various stages.

When “Lil’ S” got tired of shaking, he simply put the cream on the trampoline and bounced around. Ingenious mind of an 8 year old! Now that “Lil’ S” is a butter expert, we can attempt to create flavored butter by infusing chili powder, cinnamon, honey, lavender, or anything else we can think of. A little chef is in the making. We are proud Sugar Mommas. 

The Sugar Mommas’ Website

The Sugar Mommas are very pleased to announce the launch of our Sugar Sugar website at www.SugarSugarRecipes.com ! While on the site, click on the Sugar, Sugar book tab or go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449403581to link to our page on Amazon.com. Pre-order your copy of our upcoming book Sugar, Sugar now.

Happy Baking!