One of my favorite fruits of winter is the blood orange. Native to Sicily and Spain, the blood orange is unique among citrus fruits for its intense deep red coloring, in some cases as deep and dark as blood. Like other citrus fruits, the blood orange is high in vitamin C. But what makes it unique is its high concentration of anthocyanin, an antioxidant which is believed to reduce the risks associated with many ailments, including age-related illnesses. Blood oranges diminish the risk of heart disease, some types of cancer and “bad” cholesterol build-up. They may also reduce the risk of cataracts, and aid in the body’s healing process. [wikipedia]

While in Sicily last Spring, I got to taste many fresh blood oranges in the markets of Palermo and in the countryside near the slopes of Mt. Etna, whose rich volcanic soil aids in the growing of the blood orange. There are three varieties of blood oranges, the Tarocco (a “half-blood” variety), the Moro, and the Sanguinello (both “full-blood” varieties). The Tarocco and Moro are native to Italy, while the Sanguinello originated in Spain. All three are grown and highly prized in Sicily.

So while I enjoyed the blood oranges of Sicily greatly, I didn’t expect to be able to enjoy the juice so readily here in the US. Well, recently, I received a package with samples of a new juice available here in the New York area from I.O. Italian Organics. I.O. is a blend of all 3 major varieties of blood orange, and it’s certified organic. Curious, I drank a bit (chilled, of course), and found it to be nearly as flavorful as the freshly pressed blood orange juice I sampled in Sicily. Sadly, it didn’t have quite the same punch of freshness that you’d get from a just-pressed orange, but it does have the sharp tartness and wonderful bitterness that hits the back of the throat.

So to really test this product, I decided to make a simple recipe, a blood orange granita. I love to have sorbets and granitas as an intermezzo between courses at a long dinner, or as a simple weeknight dessert. Cold desserts have to start with an intensely flavorful base, since the cold dampens the taste buds and makes it harder to taste the subtleties. So what better way to see just what kind of punch this juice would pack?

The recipe is quite simple:

Blood Orange Granita

3 cups blood orange juice

1/4 cup simple syrup:

(2 parts sugar to 1 part water, heated to boiling, then cooled)

splash of lemon juice (optional)

grind of black pepper (optional)

Mix the simple syrup into the juice until it tastes sweet enough to you. You want it to be too sweet to drink, but not so sweet that you won’t taste the distinctive tartness of the blood orange. You may not have to use all the simple syrup. If the juice is not very tart, you can add a splash of lemon juice, or a grind of black pepper to bring out the flavors.

Pour the mixture into a wide flat metal or glass dish. You want to have as much surface area as possible to help it to freeze quickly. Place flat in the freezer for a while, then scrape with a fork to break up the ice crystals and return to the freezer and repeat until the mixture is totally frozen and granular. I prefer to serve it very granular, with “chunks” of crystals. If you prefer, you can run it through a blender, then freeze again, if you want it to have more of a sorbet consistency.

I.O.’s juice did not disappoint. I found it to be very flavorful, very tart, and with a distinctive sharpness, that served as a perfect dessert for our New Year’s Day meal of Sausage and Mussels (see our recent video shot in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia with Chef Rick Ogilvie.) Try this yourself at home, but do try to get real blood orange juice, whether you find them fresh and juice them yourself, or from a quality bottled juice.

-Chef Mark

Jennifer speaks with Luxembourg Chef Lea Linster, the 1st and only woman ever to win the coveted Bocuse d’Or competition, at the International Culinary Center in Manhattan.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

This week, I review the highlights of 2008 with my friend and partner in crime Jennifer Iannolo. We go over the many travel adventures we’ve shared over the past year. From Switzerland to Alsaka, Indonesia, Sicily, Virginia, Nova Scotia, and back to Switzerland. In between, we spoke to a number of great chefs, winemakers, distillers, and other food lovers. Here’s 2008 in review!

Shop for holiday gifts for the food lover in your life at our Gilded Fork Boutique. Special discounts for our newsletter subscribers!

http://shop.gildedfork.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Chef Rick Ogilvie from the Tin Fish Restaurant in the Lunenburg Arms Hotel and “What’s Cookin’ with Chef Rick” shows us how to make a Nova Scotia regional specialty: Lunenburg Sausage & Mussels.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

My Indonesian Adventure begins in Bali, where I visit the Bali Bird Park, The New Treasure Island Cultural Center, Pura Uluwatu Temple, and other sites. Along the way, I sample the great foods of Bali and even get a few lessons in Balinese cooking. Look for more of my adventure later as I visit the Island of Java.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I’m joined by our old friend Ryan Opaz from www.catavino.net, the premiere place on the net for discussion of wines of the Iberian Peninsula. We chat about trends, the marketing of Spanish wines, and we speak about the wines of Portugal, especially the signature fortified wines Porto and Madeira. We end with some tips on bubblies for your New Year’s celebration.

Download the Catavino guide to Cava HERE.

Shop for holiday gifts for the food lover in your life at our Gilded Fork Boutique. Special discounts for our newsletter subscribers!

http://shop.gildedfork.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Jennifer and Chef Mark discover the great local produce, seafood, and local chefs giving demos at the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Williamsburg Virginia.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I speak with Judy Witts Francini, of Divina Cucina in Tuscany, about the foods of Siena and Firenze, and the holiday treats they enjoy there. www.divinacucina.com

Shop for holiday gifts for the food lover in your life at our Gilded Fork Boutique. Special discounts for our newsletter subscribers!

http://shop.gildedfork.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Jennifer and Chef Mark wander around the Christmas Markets in Zurich, Switzerland, and discover a couple holiday treats that are everywhere this time of year: Lángos and Glühwein.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

We learn how Colonists in 18th Century Virginia prepared foods in a Hearth-fired kitchen. Frank Clark, Supervisor of Historic Foodways at Colonial Williamsburg, shows us around the kitchen of the Peyton Randolph House.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Here I’m enjoying the classic Swiss Raclette, which is a dish of melted cheese that you scrape from the pan yourself and pour over any number of foods, from sausages and bratwurst, to mushrooms, potatoes, pearl onions, pickles and tomato!

Here are links to a few facebook photo albums of the trip so far:

Chef Mark’s photos of SWISS Business Class meal service

Chef Mark’s photos of Zurich

Chef Mark’s photos of Luzern

Chef Mark’s photos of Mount Pilatus

Jennifer’s pictures from Zurich

I speak with grocery store expert Andrea Astrachan about tips for Do-it-Yourself Holiday Entertaining.

Andrea’s Column: http://www.stopandshop.com/living_well/andrea.htm

Shop for holiday gifts for the food lover in your life at our Gilded Fork Boutique. Special discounts for our newsletter subscribers!

http://shop.gildedfork.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Jennifer and Chef Mark discover the many delights of Nova Scotia, from the fine restaurants of Halifax to the wines of the Gaspereau Valley and the seafood of Lunenburg Harbour. Along the way, we meet some great folks, including some of the best chefs of Nova Scotia.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

This week, we speak with Dan Granke from Stinky Cheese Shop in Brooklyn. The name shows off their playful approach to the serious exploration of cheeses from all over the world.

Shop for holiday gifts for the food lover in your life at our Gilded Fork Boutique. Special discounts for our newsletter subscribers!

http://shop.gildedfork.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Jennifer Iannolo joins her friend Chef Jean-Louis Gerin as he serves a dinner at the James Beard House in New York. We go behind the scenes and watch as Jean-Louis and his team plate up the dishes. A production of the Culinary Media Network.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Mr Brown, that irreverent guy from Singapore, vlogged thoughout our entire trip. Being relatively close to his home country, he was able to take advantage of his small handheld video camera and his Nokia N96 to update from his cell phone connection:

www.mrbrown.com

Mike Aquino from the Phillipines write one of the more interesting sites I’ve come across for Asia travel resources. He’s the official About.com guide for Southeast Asia, and his reports from the road so far have included some great wrap ups of the Pesta Blogger event, and of the Ramayana performance in JogJakarta:

www.goseasia.com

Jeff Ooi, who started out as a blogger critical of the Malaysian government, and ended up representing Penang in the Malaysian Parliament, is one intrepid photographer. I learned so much watching him work, and he really has an eye for catching those human moments:

Jeff Ooi’s Travelogue

And Anthony Bianco of Australia just published his full account of the trip at:

NickBowditchTravel.com

Besides us “foreign bloggers” who participated, here are a bunch of other great links to coverage of Pesta Blogger:

Pesta Blogger Flickr Photo Feed

The Unspun Blog

And of the course, the Pesta Blogger website itself.

This week, it’s a show about Africa. We speak with 2 producers of African products: Remi Aderogba from Winfoods & Spices of Nigeria, and Alexander Kay from Satemwa Tea in Malawi. We learn about some of the special spices from Africa, and about how tea is processed. Then I come back and tell you all about my recent trip to Indonesia.

www.winfoodslimited.com
www.satemwa.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I’m in Indonesia as a guest of the Ministry of Culture for “Pesta Blogger 2008“, a large gathering of bloggers from the whole country. We’re on “The Road to Pesta Blogger”, seeing many of the cultural and culinary highlights of this beautiful country. I visit the New Treasure Island Cultural Heritage center in Bali and learn how a proper Balinese man dresses, then I dance with a beautiful girl.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Here are links to more facebook albums:

Borobudur Buddhist Temple Photo Album

JogJakarta Photo album part 2

JogJakarta Photo album part 1

Bali photo album part 2

Click the photo or HERE to see a photo album on facebook

This week, we speak with 2 experts in Balsamic Vinegar: Christina Crotti from Il Borgo del Balsamico, which produces traditional balsamico in Reggio Emilia and a new condment style balsamico. I then speak with Cesare Mazzeti of the Consorzio Balsamico, who describes to me the new higher quality controls being adopted by acetaios to assure that their product is of the highest quality, and he shares with me some news of the recognition of geographical protection.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

We are back at Rayuela on the Lower East Side with The Liquid Chef, Junior Merino. Junior shows us a fun and colorful holiday cocktail using Cachaca and Black Sambuca.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

This week, we attend a special “self pour” tasting of New Zealand wines, and learn that they are producing more than just Sauvignon Blanc. We meet with Jay Louisson, who shares some of the attractions of New Zealand, then with Dana Johanson and winemaker Patrick Materman, who tells us about the advances in the New Zealand wine industry has made in the past few years.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

This week, we speak with Ojus Ajmera from FGF foods, who have figured out how to mass manufacture tradtional Indian Naan bread, that scrumptuous flat bread traditionally baked in a tandoor. Ojus tells us how they do it.

There’s still time to vote for ReMARKable Palate in the Food and Drink category in the Podcast People’s Choice Awards. From now until Nov. 6th, you can vote once per day.
www.podcastawards.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Jennifer Iannolo joins her friend Chef Jean-Louis Gerin as he preps for a celebration dinner at the James Beard House in New York. Chef Jean-Louis shows us what he has in store for the diners, then Jennifer speaks with Franck Girard of Moet Hennessy USA about the wine pairings.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I speak with Betsy Rogers, President of the Cuinary Collective, which imports artisanal products from Spain and Latin America. We learn about their products and their efforts on behalf on native producers.

There’s still time to vote for ReMARKable Palate in the Food and Drink category in the Podcast People’s Choice Awards. From now until Nov. 6th, you can vote once per day.
www.podcastawards.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

We are at Rayuela on the Lower East Side, New York City. Junior Merino, The Liquid Chef, shows us how to make a cocktail using both Absinthe and Cachaça.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I’m very honored that ReMARKable Palate has been nominated for a Podcast People’s Choice Award for the second year in a row!

Over 281,000 individuals nominated a total of 1,874 podcasts for 22 categories in the 2008 People’s Choice Podcast Awards! Out of those nominated, only 10 podcasts for each category make it to the actual voting round. With 22 categories, this means that of the 1,874 podcasts nominated, only 220 are eligible for this year’s 15 day voting period.

This award has a special process, you actually get to vote once each day during the 15 day voting period, from October 23rd through November 6th.

We are nominated with a number of shows that have HUGE and loyal followers, so we’ll ask you to be equally huge and loyal, and commit to voting once per day during the two week period.

And while you’re there, show some support for our friends nominated podcasts: Grammar Girl, Tips From the Top Floor, The Rest of Everest, Ramble Redhead, Chillcast with Anji Bee, as well as The Full Time Mom, Podcast Answer Man, and 4 other podcasts produced by our friends Cliff and Stephanie at GSPN. Congratulations!