Around the turn of the 20th
century a French Priest, named Pere Clement,
living in Algeria, crossed a bitter orange (Seville) with a Mandarin. The
result was a sweet yet tangy, slightly flattened, easy to peel orange
which became known as the Clementine. Clementines are often
called the 'Christmas' orange, as its harvest time
corresponds with the holiday season. They are most often eaten raw but I always try
to put a few aside to make
this Middle Eastern torte which uses whole cooked Clementines, peel and
all.
This recipe is adapted from one
I found in Stephanie Alexander's 'The Cook's Companion' where she tells
us that in Australia it is hard to find a cafe that doesn't serve this
delicious cake. It is dense and moist, flavored with ground
almonds, with a slightly tart flavor that comes from the orange peel. It
does not contain butter or oil, only oranges, eggs, sugar, and ground
almonds. Easily made in a food processor, it stores very well, in fact, it is better to bake this cake several days
in advance of serving so its flavors have time to blend and soften.
As I mentioned above, this torte contains ground almonds. You can
either buy almond meal/flour or else you can make your own by placing
whole or sliced almonds in your food processor and processing them until
finely ground. Almond meal/flour can be found at some grocery
stores, specialty food stores/markets,
or else at health food stores. You can also
order it through the Baker's Catalogue (www.bakerscatalogue.com or
1-800-827-6836).
Place the Clementines in a saucepan and
cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer the Clementines
for about two hours. Drain and let the oranges cool completely.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
and place rack in center of oven. Butter and line a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Once the Clementines are completely cooled, slice in
half, and remove any seeds. Place the Clementine halves (skins and all)
in your food processor, along with the eggs, and process until thoroughly
blended. Add the vanilla extract and process until incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, baking powder, salt and
ground almonds. Add the orange mixture to the almond mixture and whisk
or stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about
45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick
inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (you may want to cover the cake with aluminum foil
about halfway through baking to prevent over browning). Remove
from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once it has completely
cooled, remove the sides of the springform pan.
This cake is best after it has been allowed to sit
for a few days. Serve with a dollop of softly whipped cream.
Makes one - 9 inch torte.
Sources:
Alexander, Stephanie. The Cook's Companion.
Penguin Group. Australia. 2004.
Lawson, Nigella. How to Eat.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. London: 2000.
Clementine Torte:
1 pound (454 grams) Clementines (4
to 6
depending on size)
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