Mandarins with rosemary honey
Not so long ago, we called them tangerines, they came from Florida and when we thought of them at all -- which wasn’t very often -- it was mainly because they were so easy to peel. Certainly it wasn’t for their flavor, which was pretty uniformly undistinguished.
Not anymore. Walk through a Southern California farmers market this winter and it almost seems there are more locally grown tangerines -- properly called mandarins -- than there are navel oranges.
Sold under their variety names, Satsumas, Clementines, Pixies and at least half a dozen others, they come in a kaleidoscope of shapes, sizes and colors. And the flavor is mouth-filling, explosively sweet and tart at the same time, with individual varieties ringing notes that range from flowery to almost winy.
From the story: Mad for mandarins
Heat the honey and the rosemary in a small saucepan until liquid and set aside to steep at least 15 minutes.
Peel the mandarins and break them into bite-sized sections of roughly 2 segments each. Carefully remove as much of the white pith and string as you can. Notice that there is a central string that runs down the back of almost every segment; remove this and much of the pith will come with it.
Arrange the mandarins in a low mound on a serving platter and spoon the rosemary honey over top. Each piece of mandarin should be touched, though not coated, by the honey. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary, or even better, sprigs with some of the blue flowers still attached.
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