How to Supreme an Orange

How to Supreme an Orange

December 23, 2010 by

Citrus season is in full swing here in California, and just in time too– there’s nothing like a bright shot of citrus goodness to perk up winter-y dishes.

While navel oranges are perfectly delicious eaten out of hand, they are also a great ingredient to add to salads, adding brightness and acidity wherever you please. When I put oranges in my salad, I often omit salad dressing altogether — the juice from the orange slices mingles perfectly with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, creating a light and effortless dressing.

The salad pictured above couldn’t be easier to throw together — a bed of mixed greens is topped with handful of orange supremes, some perfectly ripe sliced avocado, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and a couple sprigs’ worth of cilantro leaves. A little bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and you’re golden.

Classical, fancy-pants French technique dictates that oranges ought to be cut into supremes. This cutting method produces beautiful, pith-free slices, and trust me, it is not all that difficult to do. In fact, I supremed an orange this very morning, taking pictures for your edification.

How to Supreme an Orange

1. With a sharp knife, slice off the top and bottom of the orange.

2. Run the knife down the sides of the orange, peeling off the skin and all of the pith. You may have to turn the orange over to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

3. Insert your knife into the peeled orange, next to one of the membranes.

4. Next, slice down into the orange next to the adjacent membrane, then wiggle your knife slightly to remove your membrane-free slice of orange.

5. Repeat until you are left with a pile of supremes and the separate orange membrane. You may squeeze the membrane if you’d like to reserve the juice for something — otherwise, eat it or toss it away along with the peels.

. . . and there you have it! Couldn’t be easier, right? Happy holidays, readers — I’ll see you all in the new year!