While looking through Marcella’s many dessert recipes, my curiosity was piqued when I saw so many involving fruit. And in her typical style, the ingredients remained minimal, but intentional. I had quite a few leftover oranges from the large bag I bought for our Orange and Cucumber Salad, so this was a perfect solution to use them up and try something new.

After cooking from these books for the past six months, I’ve learned that having a few basics on hand makes it surprisingly easy to try something new. With the oranges, one lemon, and a small amount of sugar, I had everything I needed for this recipe.

After a few hours in the refrigerator, the oranges were chilled, sweet, and juicy, making this an especially nice dessert for the hot summer we’ve been having.

About this Recipe

Something Marcella asks us to do often with oranges is peel them so that none of the bitter white pith remains. This wasn’t something I had done much before cooking her recipes, but it was easy to gain confidence quickly.

To peel an orange this way, cut off both ends and stand it upright. Using a sharp paring knife, cut from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit and removing the peel and pith as you go. I find that a gentle sawing motion works well. Continue around the orange, then go back and trim away any remaining pith.

The peel and pith will vary in thickness from orange to orange, so try to remove as little of the flesh as possible. Once peeled, slice the oranges into rounds, removing any seeds, and arrange them in the serving bowl to be macerated.

Ingredient Notes

1. Oranges

I used naval oranges for this recipe and they worked very well. They are firm enough to withstand peeling, but are also very juicy. And because they are generally seedless, they work especially well for slicing into rounds.

2. Lemon

You will need both the juice and grated zest from a lemon. Begin by rolling the lemon on the countertop to help release the juice, then zest it using a Microplane, being careful to remove only the yellow outer layer and not the bitter white pith. Once zested, cut the same lemon in half and squeeze out the juice.

3. Cointreau (optional)

Marcella adds a note at the end of the recipe that, if you’re looking to give these oranges a more “celebratory” feel, you can add two tablespoons of Cointreau just before mixing and serving. I was serving this to my family, so I left it out, but it’s an addition I’d like to try someday.

The Recipe

Cooking Tip: Allow Enough Time

Macerating simply means letting fruit sit with sugar or liquid so it softens and releases some of its juices. The key to this recipe is giving the oranges enough time to macerate.

Marcella recommends at least four hours or overnight, so this is a recipe that requires some preplanning. I left mine covered in the refrigerator for about eight hours and was very pleased with the result. By then, the sugar had completely dissolved, the lemon zest was noticeable but not overpowering, and the oranges had softened slightly while releasing some of their juices.

Serve With

• On their own, well chilled
• Olive oil cake
• Vanilla gelato or ice cream
• Mascarpone or lightly sweetened ricotta spooned alongside
• Almond biscotti or other crisp Italian cookies