Citrus Pleasures: Shower Oranges and Perfumed Cheesecakes
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Have you heard of the ritual of “shower oranges”? It’s a thing. When I first stumbled upon this phenomenon, I laughed and rolled my eyes. But as I read further, it sounded pretty compelling. According to writer Gillie Houston:
“Fingers digging into the pliable, pockmarked flesh, I began to peel back layers of skin, letting them fall to the floor. The smell of citrus entwined with the steam as I began to eat away at the tart fruit, the juices spilling out over my hands and disappearing into the oncoming current. By the time the last crescent had disappeared into my lips, the residue was all but gone, the usual unpleasant stickiness forgotten down the drain—and, I had to admit, it was wonderful. From that moment on, I was converted, drawn into the legions of online fans who had already discovered this odd but delightful combination of elements.”
This phenomenon started making its rounds online based on a mysterious reddit-user’s description. Though the poster has since deleted his account, his post is still up, recounting a conversation between him and a camp counselor in which the counselor described just how wonderful it was to eat an orange while showering:
“Tearing apart a cold fresh orange with your bare hands, just letting the juices run over your body. Not worrying if you're going to get sticky, or anything. Just ripping it in half, and tearing into it with your teeth like a savage cannibal who hasn't eaten in a week. Yes… this is the most carnal, ferocious, liberating thing a man can do.”
Slightly giggling at such a ferocious description, I grabbed an orange and headed to my shower. I brought it in with me, feeling only a tad foolish, and let the warm water embrace my body. Then, I tore into the orange. Suddenly any other thought went right down the drain as I plunged into the sensual delight of a cool orange in a warm shower, of dripping juices and bright flavors. Fragrant orange peel was awakened by the heat, perfuming my bathroom as I ate bite after bite of juicy, refreshing orange. Yes. Those guys on reddit were onto something.
As this bizarre craze spread, sensationalist headlines described it as “life-changing” and you know what? I have to agree. Shower oranges represent pure pleasure, an engagement with all of your senses in the privacy and warmth of a shower. The experience guides you into feeling fully present with a level of mindfulness that’s hard to find outside of meditation. I am now a proud proponent of shower oranges.
The novelty of this experience makes me think of just how precious citrus fruits used to be this far from the warm climates they grew in. My Grandmother used to describe her joy at finding an orange in her Christmas stocking in her youth; I have read similar accounts in books about homesteaders in North America, delighted by exotic shipments of expensive fresh fruit. Today, the trio of oranges, apples, and bananas are fruit-bowl classics, nearly as commonly consumed as salt and pepper. Experiencing oranges in this fresh new way reminds me of just how precious the act of eating an orange used to be. My, what we have taken for granted!
Shower Oranges are not the only way people enjoy the combination of citrus + hot water. In Japan, it is traditional to take a hot bath filled with yuzu fruits on the Winter Solstice to bring good fortune for the year ahead. Yuzu fruits are extremely aromatic and their volatile oils are released by the hot waters of a private tub or public onsen (hotsprings), softening skin and layering the whole experience with that glorious scent. While the tradition doesn’t involve actually eating these fragrant citrus fruits while bathing, it sounds like a refreshing and enjoyable start to a new year. Perhaps a shower orange would be a meaningful ritual whenever you are feeling the need for a new start, too.
Oranges and orange blossoms are symbols of love in many cultures all over the world. It’s no wonder why - both are deeply sensual and delightful to experience! Whether you combine citrus with hot water or not, let’s remember what a treat they truly are in our Northern climates this time of year. I have my own memories of the toasted pine nut and orange brittle my mother would make around the holidays, a once-a-year treat filled with the aroma of oranges.
Orange Blossom and Pine Nut Cheesecakes:
This recipe is for a delightful citrus dessert: the oranges you see are actually filled with a marmalade filling and a creamy pine nut and orange blossom-perfumed cheesecake. The cheesecake is really creamy and nice and light, with the subtle fragrance of pine nuts accents the marmalade and orange. The marzipan shell makes these desserts extra sweet, which is a nice balance for the slightly tart filling. These cheesecakes are best shared with a friend due to their rich flavor. Eating them is a sensual pleasure as well, albeit one that may be best to keep your clothes on for. Whichever method you choose, I hope it brings you pure enjoyment.
I’ve adapted this recipe from this wonderful video. Give it a watch if you’d like more inspiration! You’ll need a couple of special tools for making these life-like oranges. You’ll need a half-sphere mold (that I use for all sorts of other recipes), and a smaller cake pop mold. You’ll also need a pastry bag with a large round tip. To make your dessert a realistic orange color, you could of course use food coloring, but I prefer natural food powders for their added benefits. Dunaliella salina is derived from an orange-colored algae and has a subtle toasted flavor. Orange carrot powder has a light carrot sweetness. Goji berry powder adds more tang.
This recipe makes enough for approx four orange-sized cheesecakes using the molds above.
Ingredients:
½ c. orange marmalade
½ c. pine nuts
1 tsp. Dunaliella salina or orange carrot powder, for color
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
Zest from one orange
½ can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
½ c. freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. orange blossom water
4 (7oz) packages marzipan
4 tsp. Dunaliella salina powder
1 tsp. Very fine orange zest
Pinch of matcha tea
Pinch of cocoa powder
Directions:
Spoon the orange marmalade into the half-spheres of the cake pop mold. Freeze until set, about 2 hours.
Wash and zest the orange, then juice it as well. Place the zest, juice, and pine nuts to the food processor and blend until as smooth as possible. Add the sweetened condensed milk and blend until the mixture is smooth. Strain through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
Add the cream cheese, orange coloring, and orange flower water to the mixing bowl with the sweetened condensed milk. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Take the frozen marmalade out of the freezer. Set the molds briefly in warm water so you can use a spoon to scoop out each hardened blob.
Use about ¾ c. of the cheesecake to fill a pastry bag with a round tip and leave at room temperature. Pour the rest of the cheesecake into the hemisphere mold, filling it about ¾. Tap the molds on the counter to remove air bubbles. Press a frozen marmalade blob in to fill to the top and freeze for 2 hours.
Once the spheres have frozen, pipe a circle of the room temperature cream cheese mixture around the outside and press them together to get a good seal. Use extra filling to fill any gaps. Put back in the freezer to harden again.
Meanwhile, mix your marzipan. Knead 2 rolls with the dunaliella salina powder and fine orange zest in your hands until smooth and evenly-colored. Cover and set aside. Wash your hands, then knead 1 ½ rolls of marzipan until warmed and smooth. Divide into four even balls. Roll each out to be about 5” across, keeping them covered with plastic wrap or a slightly damp kitchen towel.
Pull out one chilled cheesecake sphere and place a 1” sphere of baking paper on one end, then coat the whole sphere in a thin layer of the natural marzipan. Wrap to make it smooth, pressing down and smoothing out folds. Chill in the freezer while you repeat with the rest of the spheres
Divide the orange marzipan into four even balls and repeat the process, keeping the cheesecakes stored in the freezer after you finish each one. To texture the outside to look like an orange peel, roll them on a fine cheese grater and/or poke them all over with toothpicks. You can rub the outsides gently with some neutral oil to give them a shine.
To make the stem, mix a little bit of the reserved marzipan with the matcha tea powder. Form a slight indentation in the stem end of a cheesecake, then make five very small petals out of the green marzipan and press them into the hole. Roll another small piece of marzipan into a short stem shape and press it into the middle. Use some cocoa powder to give depth to the stem but be careful not to get anything on the marzipan orange.
Serve the cheesecakes straight from the freezer. On the end with the baking paper, cut a star pattern in the top and peel the marzipan back a little. Carefully pull out the paper. Impress segments on the cheesecake interior to form realistic wedges. Serve immediately.
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Join me for a little winter night magic as we bake this cake full of rich seasonal flavors and black cocoa!