The Broiled Clementines Experiment {Powernap}

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s Powernap Situation: Too many Clementines, what to do?

The only problem with Clementines is that there are so many in each bag. I mean, really, I don’t need 3 dozen fruits for three people. However, my daughter loves Clementines so I buy the big bag anyway and force my husband to take some to work while I gulp down equal amounts with every meal. I found this strategy of eating them in mass quantities is the best way to guarantee none will have a chance to rot and be thrown out. I hate wasting good food. I’ve baked with Clementines before but find that recipes usually only call for two or three of them. Not enough to make a significant dent in my bowl. Plus, it means adding more sweets to my day, not necessarily the healthiest way to enjoy fruit.

Last week I was staring at a near full bowl of Clemmies (my daughter’s name for them) knowing we were leaving on a trip in less than 48 hours. I wondered, could I slice them in half, sprinkle them with sugar and broil them like I did with oranges and grapefruits for a quick nutritious dessert? Would their juices caramelize enough that I could use some to make a delicious caramelized citrus vinaigrette?

While my daughter was at school I set to work slicing and sprinkling. I lined a baking dish with Clemmies, cut side up, sprinkled them with some raw sugar, because I think that tastes best, and popped them under the broiler until the sugar melted. About 4 minutes. Then I pulled them out quickly, dove in with a fork and was thrilled with what I tasted. The Clemmie juices had concentrated to the point that they were almost syrupy. After gobbling a few halves straight-up I used the rest of the Clemmies for the amazingly sweet juice. I squeezed some juice into a bowl and whisked it with olive oil, salt and pepper to create a scrumptious winter salad dressing for dinner that evening. I added a teaspoon to seltzer to make a yummy fizzy soda, and saved some to drizzle over the pound cake I planned to make the next day for our trip. All in all, the experiment was a great success. I am really glad to report that because not all of my experiments turns out as planned. I would’ve been bummed if they’d burned to a crisp and I’d wasted all that good fruit!