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On Citrus

October 24, 2012

 Orange and Mint Couscous Salad | At Down Under | Viviane Perenyi

I know, it's been a while... I hope you are fine and enjoy the best your season has to offer...

Right now for us here, there are plenty of citrus. All shape and size. From mandarin, tangelo, grapefruit to orange, the choice is wide. Aromatic zest, bright cheerful colour and a taste ranging from sweet to sour.

Naturally, they end up on our plate. Blood orange and navel with a vanilla syrup make a fresh and simple dessert to finish a meal. And I've made a couple of times a couscous salad, with orange wedges, mint and finely sliced red onion, drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette. Quick and good, this dish is like an invitation to sunny days...

 Orange Salad and Vanilla Syrup | At Down Under | Viviane Perenyi Kumquat | At Down Under | Viviane Perenyi

I also spotted a bag of kumquat at the farmers market last week. First attempt at making candied kumquat that turned out more like a compote... Lesson learnt, I will follow a proper recipe next time. The taste was good though and reminiscent of a bitter orange marmalade, which I like. The failed fruit candy did not deter me from making a batch of mini crêpes. I thought the taste and size would match well. And they did.

Still food related, I was pleased to be interviewed by SBS Food recently. You can read all about it here.

And as you can see, the season called for a little spring cleaning on the blog...

Kumquat and Mini Crepes | At Down Under | Viviane Perenyi

Orange and Mint Couscous Salad | At Down Under | Viviane Perenyi

Orange and Mint couscous Salad (Serves 2)

1 cup of couscous 1 pinch of salt 1 tsp of olive oil 2 oranges, peeled and cut into in wedges 1 bunch of mint leaves, rinsed 1/4 red onion, finely sliced

Dressing 4 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice salt, pepper </em>

Place couscous in a large bowl. In a glass mix together salt and olive oil and add 1 cup of boiling water. Then pour it on the couscous and cover with a plate or a lid. Let it rest for 3 to 4 minutes until all the water was absorbed. Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a little bowl. With a fork mix couscous and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before adding orange, mint and red onion. Add dressing just before serving and adjust seasoning to your liking.

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Je sais, cela fait un moment... J'espère que là où vous êtes, vous profitez de ce que votre saison a de mieux à offrir.

Pour nous, ici et en ce moment, ce sont les agrumes. De toutes les formes et toutes les tailles. De la madarine, tangelo, pamplemousse, en passant par l'orange, le choix est large. Zeste aromatique, couleur vive et un goût qui varie du doux à l'amer.

Naturellement, on les retrouve dans l'assiette. Oranges sanguine et navel servies avec un sirop vanillé constituent un dessert frais et simple pour finir un repas. Et j'ai fait à plusieurs reprises, une salade de semoule, avec des quartiers d'orange, de la menthe et de l'oignon rouge finement coupé, accompagnée d'une vinaigrette citronnée. Rapide et bonne, cette salade est comme une invitation aux beaux jours...

J'ai également trouvé un lot de kumquats au marché la semaine dernière. Première tentative pour faire des kumquats confits qui a tourné à la compote... J'ai retenu la leçon, je suivrai une recette la prochaine fois. Le goût néanmoins était bon et m'a rappelé celui de la marmelade d'orange amère, que j'aime bien. L'échec des fruits confits ne m'a pas empêché de faire quelques mini crêpes. J'ai pensé que le goût et la taille s'accorderaient bien. Et ce fut le cas.

Par ailleurs, j'ai eu le plaisir d'être interviewée par SBS Food récemment. Vous pouvez lire l'intégralité de l'interview ici.

Et comme vous l'avez constaté, saison oblige, il y a eu un petit nettoyage de printemps sur le blog...

--- ## Comments > *Our green grocer in Upper Hutt closed recently and I so miss cruising the wide range of fruits. I'm going to have to start hauling myself to Wellington to the markets to get these beauties as the supermarkets up here just don't stock the range. This post is a good inspiration to remind me to make the effort. nice interview and always good to do a spot of blog spring cleaning.* > **[Domestic Executive (@domesticexec)](http://twitter.com/domesticexec)** > *Beautiful pictures and salad! What refined flavors. Cheers, Rosa* > **[Rosa Mayland](http://www.facebook.com/Rosa.J.May)** > *I am a big citrus fan! Looks really refreshing!* > **[mycookinghut](http://www.mycookinghut.com)** > *Delicious and gorgeous!* > **[sherijkennedyriverside](http://sherijkennedyriverside.wordpress.com)** > *These recipes are great. And your photos make it all very delicious.And the best thing is, that here in Europe we get the best citrus fruits in winter. So I can make it soon. :)* > **[allesistgut](http://allesistgut.wordpress.com)** > *congrats on the feature :-) i love the color citrus adds to any dish....* > **[shruti](http://aspoonfulofyumm.blogspot.in/)** > *I love the combinations of ingredients here- the mint with the citrus sounds great!* > **[jaime @ sweet road](http://www.asweetroad.com)** > *Thank you ladies, and I wish you all a great week-end !* > **[Vanille](http://atdownunder.wordpress.com)** > *I love the photos with the recipe.... they are what inspire me to try the recipe! Thanks :D* > **[kelihasablog](http://kelihasablog.wordpress.com)** > *SO pretty. I love all these different takes on citrus!* > **[Allison Day](http://fridgg.com/)** > *Both dishes look delicious :)* > **[Bluejellybeans](http://bluejellybeans.wordpress.com)** > *superbe photos* > **[www.macuisineetvous.com](http://macuisineetvous.wordpress.com)** > *looks so yummy!* > **[auntie k](http://kidsarefrompluto.wordpress.com)** > *The oranges in syrup look delicious! Wonderful photos. * > **[yummygirl2](http://yummyauckland.wordpress.com)** > *Great Taste , great Idea . . .* > **mataicooking**