Mandarin Orange + Grapefruit or Pomelo = Tangelo

This weekend at the Farmers’ Market I picked up some beautiful Tangelos. Tangelos are hybrids of Mandarin orange and grapefruit or Pomelo that were first developed in Florida in 1897. The ones I bought are the size of a standard sweet orange, although I have read they can grow to the size of a grapefruit. This might be more common in Florida as the ones I have seen that are locally grown tend to be the orange size. I love Tangelos because the peel is fairly loose and easily removed. The pulp is colorful, subacid, has a great flavor and is very juicy. A ripe tangelo is filled with much more juice than pulp and tastes much like a tangerine. They’re low in calories, a good source of dietary fiber, an excellent source of Folate and Vitamin C and are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. So they taste great and are good for you too.

While my favorite way to eat Tangelos is to just peel them and pop the segments into my mouth, I thought it would be fun to come up with another way to try them. How does Tangelo-Buttermilk Scones sound?

Here’s a yummy little recipe from Martha Stewart Living that would be fun to try next Sunday morning

Minneola Tangelo-Buttermilk Scones

Soft, biscuitlike scones get their sprightly flavor from the zest, juice, and flesh of tangelos.

Ingredients

Makes 20 scones.

• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 8 1/2 ounces (2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Minneola tangelo zest
• 6 medium Minneola tangelos, peeled, segmented, seeded, and chopped
• Heavy cream, for brushing
• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 3 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk, zest, and chopped tangelos, stirring just until dough comes together (some butter should be visible).
2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead a few times to bring together. Gently pat it into a 6-by-15-inch rectangle, 1 inch thick. Using a paring knife, cut dough into 20 triangles (3 inches each). Flip each triangle over onto a baking sheet, spacing each 2 inches apart. Cover, and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours (or overnight). Brush tops with cream, then sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake scones until tops are golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (If bottoms are browning too quickly, place another baking sheet underneath the first.) Transfer scones to a wire rack, and let cool

recipe © 2010 Martha Steward Living