Recipes with Clementines

Christmas Citrus Squares
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks), unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons red currant jelly
Filling:
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch fine salt
1 cup freshly squeezed clementine juice, about 6 clementines
1 lemon juiced (4 to 5 tablespoons)
2 clementines (about 2 teaspoons) zest finely grated
1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons) zest finely grated
2 clementines or 2 blood oranges, sliced and cut into small triangular pieces, for serving, optional

Butter a 9 by 12 1/2-inch baking pan. Line pan with foil and leave about 2 inches extra on all sides. Butter the foil.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar on medium, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn mixer to low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over work the dough.
Transfer dough to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly across the pan and pressing to make a 1/4-inch thick covering over the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, then press and flatten using your hands over the top to smooth and even out the dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the plastic from the top of the dough and prick the dough with a fork or a wooden skewer. Bake the crust until just golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the jelly in the microwave until soft enough to spread, about 1 minute. Spread the jelly with a pastry brush or an offset spatula over the crust. Return to the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Cool crust completely on a wire rack, 1 hour.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat until thick and slightly pale. Stir in the citrus juices and zest, and whisk gently to blend well.

Pour the filling onto the cooled crust and bake until the filling is firm but still loose and wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight before cutting.

Remove bars from refrigerator and dip the bottom of it in warm water to soften the butter and release the foil from the sides of the pan. Use foil to lift pastry out of the baking pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut into about 50 1 1/2-inch squares, wiping down the knife with a hot, wet towel between cuts. Top each square with a tiny triangular segment of clementine or blood orange (with the peel on) and serve

Sauteed Scallops with Clementine Sauce and Toasted Beets
4 baby red beets, tops removed and washed
4 tablespoons clementine marmalade (regular orange marmalade can be substituted)
4 tablespoons coconut milk
4 tablespoons butter
Salt
Cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 sprigs thyme
16 scallops

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the beets in a pan and roast in the oven until very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut beets into 1-inch long batonets, or a thick julienne.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the marmalade and coconut milk. Cook until reduced by half, it should be thick enough to coat a spoon. Finish the sauce by whisking in the butter, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

In a saute pan, over high heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and thyme and heat. Add the scallops to the oil and pan sear until golden brown on both sides.

Place the beets on a plate and place 4 scallops on top. Cover the scallops with a thin, even layer of the sauce.

Phyllo Crumple with Orange and Vanilla Flavors
3 cups orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
2 bay leaves
Tiny pinch salt
1 package frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 clementines, peeled and sectioned
1 pint vanilla ice cream
6 small sprigs of fresh mint

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
Reduce the orange juice to 1 1/2 cups in a small heavy saucepan with the sugar, vanilla bean, bay leaves and salt. Let cool. Unwrap and unroll the thawed phyllo dough. Remove 3 sheets and cut in half to make 6. Reroll the remainder and wrap tightly. Return to the refrigerator for another use. Brush each half sheet of phyllo with the melted butter on both sides and sprinkle with sugar. With both hands crumple the sheet to about the size of a squash ball. Repeat with the remaining 5 sheets. Place each crumpled ball on a cookie sheet pan and bake in the oven until browned, about 4 minutes. Reserve.

In each of 6 bowls, place 1 phyllo crumple, 6 clementine sections in a ring next to it and pour 1/4 cup of the flavored orange syrup over the fruit. Place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on each ring of fruit. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve

Braised Salmon Mediterranean Style
1 medium carrot
2 small celery branches
2 seedless clementines
1 medium tomato
1 small onion
1 cup water
2 clementines, juiced
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets
4 large lettuce leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
Garnish:
12 pitted black olives, sliced
1 scallion, sliced
4 small bouquets celery leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil

Prepare the fruit and vegetable garnish. Peel the carrot and slice in thin half moons. Slice the celery branches and peel the clementines and remove as much as the white filaments as possible. Cube the tomato, and peel and thinly slice the onion.
In a medium size pot, add the water, clementine juice, white wine, red wine vinegar and olive oil and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, onions, celery and tomato and salt and pepper (it should taste under-seasoned, as it will go through reduction). Then cover, lower the heat and let cook for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the fish.

Remove any dark flesh from the fish if present. Wash the lettuce leaves, remove the hard white part and blanch the lettuce by plunging them in boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds, until it becomes limp and dark green. Remove and refresh immediately in cold water. When cold, drain and squeeze out the excess water.

Then season each piece of salmon individually on both sides, and wrap them neatly in the lettuce leaves so that you get nice small bundles. Place the fish in the braising liquid, on top of the vegetables. The liquid should reach halfway up the sides of the salmon. Lower the heat to very low, cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. (The cooking time depends on your preferences. Some people like their fish slightly underdone in the middle, others like it cooked through. Check the inside of one fish by gently pulling the lettuce aside and separate the flakes of the salmon. The inside color will tell you how done it is. The best is when it is slightly orange inside and pink on the outside)

When the fish is cooked, remove from the pot and reduce the cooking liquid by 1/3 to 1/2, until full-flavored. Add the clementine segments to warm them. Do not allow them to overcook and fall apart. Check the seasoning and add the lemon juice.

Place each piece of fish in a small soup plate. Surround the fish with a nice mix of garnish and cover it with the cooking juice. Decorate with pieces of black olives, sliced scallion, and little celery leaves bouquets. Finally, brush the fish with some olive oil to make it shiny, and serve immediately.

Clementine Shortcakes
1 pound clementines, peeled and cut into segments
1/4 cup sugar
Grand Marnier
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
4 plain shortcakes, split in half
4 sprigs of fresh mint
Shaker of confectioners' sugar

In a small bowl, combine the oranges, sugar and Grand Marnier, to taste. Mix well. Whip the cream and sugar until stiff peaks. Flavor the cream with Grand Marnier to taste. To serve, place the bottom half of the shortcakes in the center of each serving plate. Spoon the oranges over the cake. Place the remaining cake on top of the oranges. Place some of the whipped cream on top of each shortcake. Garnish with mint and sugar.