Creative Sauces Using Navel Oranges

Most people associate using navel oranges and other citrus fruits in cooking with desserts instead of savory dishes. It’s true that oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruits can be used to create delicious desserts and elegant dessert sauces but they are also quite often used in savory cooking. Using navel oranges to make a creative or exotic sauce is a great way to turn everyday ingredients into a wonderful dish that your family and friends will love. Getting creative with your sauce is also a great way to save money on holiday entertaining by using more common ingredients that cost less without sacrificing the quality or the wow factor of your holiday dishes. Here are some expert chef’s favorite sauces to make using navel oranges and other citrus fruits:

Pasta with Orange Wine Sauce – Pasta is one of the cheapest dinners you can make, but this delicious wine and orange sauce will make your family and friends think you got the recipe from a five star restaurant. Use whatever kind of pasta you like, although linguine works especially well. To create the sauce blend a high quality white wine with several cups of fresh squeezed orange juice from either navel oranges or Valencia oranges. If you really want to up the gourmet factor of the sauce try using Honeybell juice instead. To the wine and juice mixture add cream, pepper, garlic, onion, and a little salt and let it reduce down to the thickness you like.

Orange Ginger Sauce – Duck is a traditional holiday meal, but you can add your own twist to serving duck by serving it with this orange ginger sauce. Combine olive oil, chicken stock, the juice of several navel oranges, fresh ginger, orange marmalade, grated orange peel, and parsley into a sauce and let it reduce down. Pour some over the duck breasts and let the duck cook in the sauce, then add a little more sauce to each breast after they are plated. This delicious twist on familiar dish will thrill your family and friends.

Basic Dessert Sauce – This is a great sauce that takes almost no time to make and can be served over anything from ice cream and sorbet to cupcakes or dessert breads. You probably already have the ingredients for this sauce in your kitchen so you can whip it up at a moment’s notice. You can even prepare some in advance for special occasions and freeze it to be sure you don’t run out. Just combine some chopped segments of navel oranges, tangerines, or other citrus fruits with some sour cream, softened cream cheese, and sugar. Mix thoroughly and you have a delicious citrus dessert sauce.

Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves

At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.

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