Oranges à la Norvégienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp paring knife
• •Grapefruit spoon or small teaspoon
• •Piping bag with a 1/2-inch (12 to 15 mm) star tip
• •Rimmed metal sheet pan
• •High broiler or overhead grill

Instructions

1. 1

   Hollow and chill shells

   Wash and dry the oranges. Cut a neat slice about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick from the top of each, then use a grapefruit spoon or small teaspoon to loosen and remove the flesh without piercing the peel. Scrape away loose membranes, but leave the white pith intact because it helps insulate the frozen centre. Reserve the fruit and juice for another use. If you make a small hole, press a patch cut from one of the removed lids against it from inside. Ça se rattrape. Stand the shells upright and freeze them for 30 minutes.

   Choose oranges that sit steadily and feel firm and heavy. Thin, soft peel tears under the spoon and gives the meringue a poor rim to grip.
2. 2

   Pack the orange ice

   Let the orange ice or sorbet soften only until a spoon can pass through it, about 5 minutes. Pack it firmly into each frozen shell, pressing out air pockets, and stop when the shell is three-parts full. That empty upper quarter belongs to the meringue. Return the filled oranges to the freezer for at least 1 hour, until the centres are thoroughly hard. If the sorbet became soft while you worked, no harm is done; freeze by feel, not by the clock, and do not proceed until it is firm.

3. 3

   Build the cold tray

   Set the oven rack 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) below the broiler or grill and heat it on its highest setting for a full 10 minutes. Spread the crushed ice about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep across a rimmed metal sheet pan and make four snug nests. Transfer the frozen oranges to the ice and wipe their rims dry. Use metal here, not glass or ceramic, which can object violently to the meeting of ice and fierce heat.

   The original broken-ice tray is not decoration. It steadies the fruit and buys precious seconds before the frozen centre begins to soften.
4. 4

   Pipe the meringue crown

   Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and fill it with the Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383). Pipe a ring directly onto each dry rim to anchor the covering, then continue in overlapping spirals until the sorbet is completely sealed beneath a generous crown. Leave no gaps. If the meringue slides, the rim is damp or the mixture has slackened; wipe the peel dry and whisk the meringue briefly until it holds a ridge again. If it still refuses the piping bag, spoon it into a thick, smooth cap. Ça se rattrape. Coverage carries the technique, not the fluting.

5. 5

   Colour in seconds

   Slide the ice-filled tray beneath the fully heated broiler and watch without turning away. Rotate the pan once if the heat is uneven, then remove it as soon as the ridges show hazelnut-brown tips while the hollows remain ivory, usually 20 to 45 seconds. The colouring must be swift. If the meringue remains pale after 45 seconds, return the oranges to the freezer, replace any melting ice, let the broiler recover fully, and try again with the rack slightly closer. Waiting beneath weak heat melts the centre before it colours.

6. 6

   Serve without delay

   Lift the oranges from the ice, wipe their bases, and set each one on a chilled dessert plate or in a shallow bowl that will hold it steady. Serve immediately, while the meringue tips are newly bronzed and the orange centre remains firm and vivid. Give everyone a spoon and let the warm crown collapse into the cold fruit. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Orange ice means a clear, water-based frozen preparation with a strong citrus flavour. A smooth orange sorbet is its honest modern equivalent; sherbet contains dairy and sits heavier beneath the meringue.
• •The finished Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383) must be cool, glossy, and firm enough to hold a ridge. Its hot-syrup structure withstands sudden colouring better than an uncooked meringue, so the referenced preparation is part of the dish, not brigade scaffolding.
• •For the book's tangerine version, use six large tangerines and tangerine ice or sorbet. Keep fruit and filling matched; the sharper perfume of tangerine is lost if the centre tastes only of ordinary orange.
• •A lightly sweet Muscat works beautifully beside the citrus and toasted sugar. Serve small glasses, well chilled, because the dessert already carries all the generosity it needs.

Advance Preparation

• •The empty orange shells can be frozen one day ahead. Keep them upright in an airtight container so their exposed edges do not dry out.
• •Fill the shells with orange ice up to 4 hours before serving and freeze them hard. Longer storage dulls the fresh fragrance of the peel.
• •The Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383) can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead and held covered at cool room temperature. Pipe and colour it only when the table is ready for dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)