Orange Recipes

This recipe is an extremely refreshing way to end a meal. It comes from cookbook author Alice Medrich, a member of the online community Food52, and is based on a classic that she adapted from a 1970s French fashion magazine.

Zoe Nathan, the pastry chef at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, California, prefers to be called a baker, which better reflects her unpretentious style. "I like making desserts that go from oven to table without a lot of fussing and futzing," she says. Her stunning yet simple crostata, which uses juicy blood oranges at their peak, is nothing but sweet-tart oranges and a bit of sugar on a flaky, buttery crust.

Mike Price drizzles blood orange slices with a Greek olive oil called Iliada. Pressed from kalamata olives, the oil's gentle fruitiness and lack of bitter finish make it ideal for salads. If blood oranges aren't available, navel oranges or tangerines are excellent substitutes.

Sean Paxton, founder of homebrewchef.com, cooks multicourse dinners with beer. This vinaigrette, which he makes with an India Pale Ale, shows beer's lighter side.

Pairing Suggestion: A zesty California Sauvignon Blanc.

The crunchy, almondy topping for these clever bars is loaded with vitamin E. The filling is chewy like caramel and is full of vitamin C from the orange.

"Blood oranges are part of my Sicily fascination," Renato Poliafito says. He uses the segments to add color and tang to green beans and reduces the juice with balsamic vinegar to make the dressing.

Bill Bowick, co-owner of Charleston's Sugar Bakeshop, created this impressive recipe to use the treasured Bundt-cake pan that Leigh Magar got from her great-grandmother. Leigh served the cake at her grandmother's 92nd birthday party.

Oranges and thyme are magical together in this simple and elegant dessert. If you want a completely clear syrup without the bits of thyme, put the leaves in a tea ball and remove it once the syrup is chilled.

Feta is a fun, briny addition to this salad's Mexican mix of jicama, avocado and cilantro.

"I love a hot fudge sundae, but this is more refreshing," says Jimmy Bradley about this light, citrusy mousse layered with orange granita and chopped almonds.

At Casa Oaxaca, chef Alejandro Ruíz Olmedo makes this recipe with suckling pigs; here he uses pork loin, roasting it in fresh orange juice steeped with herbs. When infused with pan drippings, the juice becomes the base for a tangy sauce.

Guests at Ace Hotel can order April Bloomfield's pancakes in their rooms or at her restaurant, The Breslin. While the pancakes are delicious on their own, they're exquisite with the soft ricotta topping, crunchy sliced almonds and ingeniously vibrant (and neon-bright) orange syrup.

Grace Parisi mixes cold whipped crème fraîche with candied ginger, then spoons it over warm, sweet orange slices. The combination of flavors, textures and temperatures is magnificent.

If you can find them, use blood oranges instead of lighter-colored navels because darker pigments deliver more antioxidants.

At Mas Rabell, the private restaurant where the Torres family entertains, chef Sergi Millet cooks homey food with a regional accent, such as this sweet, refreshing dessert made with orange ice cream, homemade orange custard, oranges and orange liqueur. Orange slices sprinkled with sugar, a Catalan favorite, were Millet's inspiration for this recipe.