Three ingredients. Four if you count water. It was one of the best things I’ve made in the last few months, though. Slices of clementine soaking in a light caramel infused with cinnamon. First, let me assure you it is not going to be too sweet. It is a perfectly balanced mixture, the clementines lose any of that harshness often found in the raw fruit, and the syrup is so good that I drank what was left in my small bowl after enjoying the fruit. Yes, I grabbed the bowl and drank from it as if it was a glass. What’s more amazing, I did it in the presence of members of our department gathered in our place for a get-together with a guest speaker. That should give you an idea how irresistible it was. I found this gem of a recipe on the fun blog hosted by Zach and Clay, The Bitten Word. If you don’t know about their site, make sure to stop by, you will become a regular visitor… 😉
CLEMENTINES IN CINNAMON SYRUP
(seen at The Bitten Word, original recipe from Martha Stewart)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
8 clementines, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
Bring water, sugar and cinnamon to a simmer in a small saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.
Arrange clementines in a large bowl. Pour warm syrup over top, and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
Divide clementines and syrup among 4 bowls.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
I hope you won’t let the simplicity of this “recipe” prevent you from making it, telling yourself that it cannot be worth it. If you like fruit and a dessert that makes you feel light as a feather and pretty energized (must be all that vitamin C, and the cinnamon oils), this is it. Maybe some might feel tempted to serve it as a topping for ice cream, but for my taste, nothing else is needed. Just make sure you have enough caramel sauce to soak the slices, and to satisfy your desire to drink every single drop of it. Slurping is optional, depending on the audience. 😉
ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2013
TWO YEARS AGO: Thrilling Moments (CROISSANTS!)
THREE YEARS AGO: Maple-Oatmeal Sourdough Bread
FOUR YEARS AGO: Pork Trinity: coffee, mushrooms, and curry
Bewitching Kitchen 
I don’t believe I’ve mixed cinnamon with citrus before, Sally, but my baking is pretty limited. I find this dessert really interesting. Love, too, that it is such a simple preparation. The only way it could be easier would be to find clementines that were already peeled. Good luck with that, eh?
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Now that you mentioned the peeling of the clementines, indeed, that was a bit of a pain 😉 But worth it.
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This seems to be a brilliant combination! Beautiful photo too! 😉
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Thank you! I love that bowl, and it was perfect to hold the fruit
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Gorgeous, simple and it just landed in my Dropbox saved recipes folder. I don’t see why this couldn’t work with oranges or tangerines, do you? Maybe navel oranges to avoid seeds.
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Yes, I think it’s important to use a fruit without seeds – taking the seeds out would be a ton of extra work, but necessary.
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Looks great Sally, I’ll have to give this a try. 🙂
Did you see my recent post: Chocolate Chip paradise Pie!!
Michael
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Hello, Michael! Yes, I saw your post, my gosh…. talk about decadent! 😉
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This is such a great idea!! Cinnamon, caramel and citrus?? What a great combination! I will drink that liquid too.
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We can share, I will leave some for you… 😉 Partners in crime!
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So simple but so pretty, refreshing and delicious…
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Totally agree!
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DIvine simplicity!
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Hope you give this recipe a try, it’s absolutely wonderful and a nice change of pace for heavy desserts
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Wow! this sounds so refreshing, perfect combination!
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Thanks for stopping by, Cheri!
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This really sounds wonderful Sally. Just yesterday was the first time I ever made “candied” oranges. I made them for a cake and how impressive they are! These sound lovely with cinnamon. I’ll have to make them since I couldn’t quit eating the ones I made for the cake. 🙂
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Your cake is gorgeous! Candied oranges are incredibly delicious, aren’t they?
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Definitely a combination that needs to be tried. Maybe spooned over some crepes like for crepe suzette
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WOW! That would be amazing! Taking this to a whole new level… I love crepe suzette… would you believe that once I had a pretty bad one in a very famous restaurant in Paris? I was shocked.
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HA….drinking right from your bowl….I love it!
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You do understand I did that with a lot of poise and elegance, right?
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I can almost see you doing that with the biggest grin on your face. What a cheeky woman you are. You kept all the juice for yourself. Wouldn’t this be nice at Christmas time?
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Well., Maureen, I had to inquire Phil about the meaning of “cheeky” as I had no idea… yes, I guess it was a cheeky move 😉
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I made this for dessert tonight. The main course was your Korean BBQ burgers, Sally, and those were scrumptious. I was a little concerned that the clementine dish would be just too much sweetness after the burgers, which contain brown sugar, but we waited an hour, watched a movie, and then had the dessert. All I can say is “Wow!” Just sweet enough, and the cinnamon sticks added a mysterious smokiness which somehow cut the sugar content a bit, making for a very satisfying end to the meal, and the day.
Have you tried any of Fuchsia Dunlop’s cookbooks? I have “Every Grain of Rice”, about Chinese regional home cooking, and it’s a treasure.
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WONDERUL, Paula! So glad you already made it and loved it too!
I will investigate that cookbook, but don’t tell Phil 😉
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You had me at three ingredients! I love a recipe that has some sweetness but is filled with healthy ingredients lately:) I will try this one because my family is complaining that after a big dinner the dessert is just too much. I haven’t forsaken sugar altogether, I don’t think I ever could:D Do you think other fruits could be added to the clementine? xx
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Barbara, I think this is a perfect way to end a meal, if you want to have something sweet but not overly so. I know your family will love it! As to forsake sugar, well, I must say that a book I read recently called “Intuitive Eating” summarizes a lot of what I think about eating and dieting. I might write a small review about it here at some point.
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Sally, this is fabulous! I never would have thought to put cinnamon and citrus together… but yes..I can see how it would work, and wonderfully! I’m so behind on blogs…have so much to catch up on with you!! I can’t wait to see what else you’ve had up your sleeve… and I’m definitely visiting Zach and Clay…
Wonderful post… lovely recipe. ❤
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Thank you! I know what it feels like to be behind reading blogs – it’s fun to follow our favorites but sometimes there’s just too much going on in life. When you have a chance, visit Zach and Clay’s spot – they have a very nice blog, always fun to read
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Simply refreshing. I could eat fruit just like everyday!
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You and me both!
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I actually think the simplicity makes it even more appealing!! I would love to have these around to snack on.
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I love simple stuff, I don’t know how you can make so many recipes that are involved and demanding with all you have on your plate – I guess you must be the most organized person in the planet! 🙂
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This looks so delicious – I can’t wait to try the recipe. We can pick fresh clementines locally here in NorCal from late December- March and I always have them in the house. I agree they are perfect alone but if you saved room for a bigger dessert you could always add a small scoop of gelato 🙂
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Nothing wrong with some gelato… 😉
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que delicia, Sally! vou fazer. obrigada por me mostrar essa receita. beijo!
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