The Uncommon Winter Citrus You Should Experiment With Next
While spring and summer might be the peak times for browsing farmers' markets and looking for fresh produce, there are still a lot of fruits and veggies you can enjoy throughout the winter. For example, there are plenty of ways to prepare winter squash as a side dish, from steaming to roasting it. In addition to winter produce, you can also freeze your favorite fruits and vegetables to enjoy all year round. If you've prepared ahead, you can also freeze any summer berries since frozen fruit is just as nutritious or even more so than fresh fruit.
But if you want to snack on fresh, juicy fruit this season, you can turn to oranges. And there are more orange varieties than you might think. We've rounded up types of oranges and what makes them unique, and there's one less well-known tangerine that you should add to your grocery cart. The Sunburst tangerine makes it onto the Epicurious list of winter citrus, and this tangerine is a great option for fans of clementines.
What is a Sunburst tangerine, and what does it taste like?
According to the University of Florida, Sunburst tangerines are a cross between two other hybrid citrus fruits: the Robinson and Osceola. The University of Florida also says that the citrus variety is popular among growers so while it might not be the commonly known winter fruit, you might be familiar with it and have seen this type of tangerine in stores.
As for what you can expect when you bite into a segment of this tangerine, Speciality Produce describes Sunburst tangerines as having a sweet and tangy but balanced flavor profile. Though this might sound like a clementine, there's a few differences between tangerines and clementines. For example, tangerines tend to be more tart and have a rougher exterior. If you're enticed by the flavor of a Sunburst tangerine, here's what you can do with them in the kitchen.
What recipes can you make with Sunburst tangerines?
While you can simply peel and eat Sunburst tangerines as a snack, you can also incorporate this juicy citrus into other recipes. Epicurious recommends adding these tangerines for a citrus-y crème brûlée that incorporates juice and zest from the fruit. If you always start your mornings with toast, Minneopa Orchards recommends turning your tangerines into marmalade.
You can also add Sunburst tangerines to fruit salads. To make your fruit salad even better, try Geoffrey Zakarian's specific fruit salad method, where he puts his ingredients on a platter so softer fruits don't end up squished and soggy. Prefer your salads with a base of leafy greens? You can still incorporate some extra tangerine flavor by juicing a Sunburst tangerine and making a dressing with olive oil, salt, pepper, and other seasonings to your taste.
If you've already tried Sunburst tangerines, you can introduce the fruit to your friends and family over the holidays. Ina Garten suggests gifting oranges for Christmas, and we also think that Sunburst tangerines could be the ideal gift for foodies.