5 Ingredients or Fewer

Ambrosia

by:
February 15, 2011
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Ambrosia
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

This is one of our favorite winter desserts. I toss the fruit with a ratafia I make using satsumas, clementines and navel oranges, spiced with crushed coriander seeds and a couple of cloves. The spice flavor goes nicely with the citrus. Cointreau has pleasant notes of coriander seed, so it's a good substitute, though it has less of the brightness of orange flavor achieved when making one's own liqueur. Sometimes I make this with pomelos in place of the navel oranges. You can use any citrus that you like. Enjoy!! —AntoniaJames

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 Cara Cara oranges, cut into suprêmes
  • 2 navel oranges, cut into suprêmes
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons grated raw unsweetened coconut
  • 3 tablespoons Cointreau, ratafia or other similar citrus liqueur (or more to taste)(See note below, if you don't want to use a liqueur.)
  • 1/8 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
Directions
  1. Toss the orange sections with the coconut.
  2. Add the vanilla to the liqueur and add to the orange and coconut mixture.
  3. Toss again and allow the ambrosia to sit for at least four hours before eating.
  4. Toss again before serving. This really tastes best at room temperature or just a bit cooler.
  5. Enjoy!! ;o)
  6. If you do not have any liqueur, or don't wish to include any in this recipe, dissolve 1 tablespoons of sugar in 3 tablespoons of boiling water, along with three or four 1-inch pieces of orange zest (just the orange part of the peel, with as little of the white pith as you can manage), a teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds and a whole clove, and simmer very gently for about two minutes. Allow the syrup to cool a bit, then strain before using. ;o)
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AntoniaJames

Recipe by: AntoniaJames

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16 Reviews

thirschfeld
thirschfeld February 21, 2011
I am glad someone else makes ratafia and I am not the only crazy one to make liquors. I make a liquor using coffee beans too that is so good. This looks great I am on my way to pick up some staple and think I will grab some Cara Cars's
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 23, 2011
Wow, the coffee bean liqueur sounds terrific. Post the recipe, please! I have quarts of fruit liqueurs that I've made (plus some sensational ginger wine), but nothing made with coffee. I like being able to use enormous quantities of the stuff in cooking without drawing down on my equity line to pay for it . . . . . not to mention that you can tweak the spices and other ingredients to get the notes you really like. I have some pomelo brewing right now. ;o)
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen February 20, 2011
This is elegantly delectable!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 23, 2011
Thank you, SG! So nice of you to say so. ;o)
 
Table9
Table9 February 20, 2011
AJ: My mother would love this. My grandmother, who is an excellent baker, used to make this for my mother when they were younger. It is also a go-to food for Garden Parties in the South. Thanks for taking me home.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 23, 2011
Thanks so much, Table9! Mr T is from the South, and this -- and pecan pie -- have been his favorite desserts since I first met him a long, long time ago. I can totally see it at garden parties. About three versions of it can be found in each of the numerous Junior League cookbooks we own (from his hometown). We love it in the winter time. Seasonal eating at its best!! ;o)
 
gingerroot
gingerroot February 18, 2011
Oh yum! This looks really delicious.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 18, 2011
Thank you, gingerroot! I'm glad so you think so. I do hope you try it. The touch of good vanilla really elevates this dessert . Isn't it amazing how the tiniest touch of a single flavor can utterly transform a familiar dish? ;o)
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff February 17, 2011
Ah yeah, this is so not my vision of ambrosia, so much more something I'd make and love. You need at better name!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 17, 2011
Thanks for your kind words. How about "Food of the Gods", which if my rather dim recollection of Homer is correct, was the original meaning of the word, "ambrosia""? If I were creating a mythology, and deciding what the gods liked to eat, this would certainly be it . . . . . . This is one of our favorite winter-time desserts for good reason. ;o)
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff February 17, 2011
Goodness, you've just made me realize how funny my comment was. Ambrosia = nectar of the gods, and I'm saying that I like your recipe more than that!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 17, 2011
Except that when people hear, "Ambrosia," they're probably not associating it with the Homeric meaning, but rather, are envisioning what's more typically served under the name, "ambrosia," which this certainly is not. So I'm thinking I really do need a different name for this. Thanks! ;o)
 
pauljoseph
pauljoseph February 16, 2011
Excellent recipe I relay thank you and you sister sally for sharing great recipes.One question what is Mexican vanilla?
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 17, 2011
Mexican vanilla is an extract that comes from vanilla plants in Mexico. There apparently are three or four different regions in Mexico that grow vanilla, and each type is different. The best Mexican vanilla extract blends three or four types. There is one important caveat about buying Mexican vanilla. I read somewhere that there is an ingredient added by some Mexican producers of vanilla that contains a substance banned in the USA as harmful. It's called "coumarin." There is a thread on foodpickle about vanilla in general, here: http://www.food52.com/foodpickle/40-what-is-the-best-brand-of. I like the Mexican for glazes, syrups, pound cakes and dishes like this, in which the taste of the vanilla comes through, even if subtly. The Mexican has a slightly woodsy, but also somewhat warm, taste to me. ;o)
 
dymnyno
dymnyno February 15, 2011
I love your simple, unsweetened ingredients that conspire to make such a flavorful recipe!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 15, 2011
I usually hate ambrosia (I only know the kind with marshmallows and whipped cream in it). Your version sounds like a perfect, bright winter dessert. Thanks, AJ!