Caramelised Oranges with Rosemary & Gancia, or when "la France" pays tribute to Argentina

Last Sunday, a festival, Viva Argentina!, was organised at the Château de Villarceaux, continuing with the celebrations in honour of the 200th anniversary of Argentina. As an Argentinian, I feel so grateful to this country....I have no words for it! When people ask me: "How do the French treat you in France?" I have to say: "It couldn't be better"...for some reason that I don't clearly understand, "la France" professes a unique love for Argentina..I don't know if it is because of our tango, that they ADORE or what (fatal attraction?)...but as soon as I say I'm Argentinian, a big smile comes to the lips of every French person I come across, and they immediately make me feel special, they pamper me in a special way....

So  this magnificent place, on a great sunny day, was the scenario for all sorts of artistic representations from Argentina: tango, folklore music, dance...stands showing and selling our wines, knives, and "alpargatas" (country shoes)
To give visitors a warm welcome, a proud "gaucho" (or several rather!) on his horse.....
The image of the "gaucho" sends me back to my childhood, summers spent in the countryside, trying to ride which were, at the time, gigantic horses....The gaucho embodies the best that Argentina has...it is the image of friendship, hospitality, loyalty, honour, pride in our country and traditions....really, the best in us!!! So I had to take myself a photo with this "paisano" ( person from the countryside)

Notice how the gaucho differs from the American cowboy in his apparel...he wears a small "beret" (not the big cowboy hat) and this is the unmistakable proof of the influence of Basque inmigration in Argentina...At the times of Argentinian Civil War, when the country was divided between "unitarios" (those who wanted a central government in Buenos Aires, controlling the rest of the country), or "federales" ( those for keeping the autonomy of each province), people would proclaim their political standing by the colour of their beret...red for federales and white or light blue, for unitarios....but leaving aside these political matters, the most common colour to be found is black, of course...
Then our gaucho wears a pair of black or beige baggy trousers (called "bombacha"), leather boots, a wide leather belt adorned with coins (silver or not), and tightly fastened with  his belt, a "facon" ( a knife), heavily decorated, sometimes even in silver and gold....
The gaucho uses his knife for everything: to work, for his handcrafts, to eat...He wears a sort of handkerchief or scarf around his neck...In spite of his simplicity, the gaucho loves looking "buenmozo" (handsome).

photo by Eduardo Amorin

The organisers had estimated around 3000 people would attend this festival...They never expected the 8000 that finally turned up: mostly French ( 95%), eager to learn to dance tango, dance the tango themselves....or just admire the unique charm of a couple that dances tango well...

Look  at this "bandoneon" player !!! All in black....the colour of "tangueros" (tango fans) Well...Argentinians love wearing black, contrasted to our Brazilian neighbours who prefer bright colours....

And then, it goes without saying, people went there TO EAT!!! our incredibly tender meat from our grass-fed cows from our Pampa....Look at the "chorizos" (sausages) to make our "choripan" (sausage sandwich) with "chimichurri", of course !!!!. Also, the huge pieces of meat, to make a "vacio" sandwich ("vacio" is a special cut- I don't know why we cut the cow in a different way??!!)

Which do I prefer??? The "asador", of course !!!! (the barbecue man) LOL...You see, that shows I'm getting old...When a woman my age pays attention to the young Argentinian asador is because she is ageing...Well or maybe I'm just like Madonna !!! 

Well....jokes aside, which is the connection between all this and the oranges??? In Argentina, when we finish eating insane quantities of meat in our barbecue party, the typical thing to have for dessert is fruit salad...because it is light, fresh, and because we don't want to work in the kitchen a lot!!! But of course, I can't post a fruit salad!!, so I found this recipe from Argentinian chef, Francis Mallmann, one of our best chefs...trained in France, French cuisine advocat, until one day, he decided to go back to the sources....and you know, it takes a great chef, to make a dessert as simple as this....Only five minutes to caramelise your oranges, and put some Greek yoghurt to the side....yet the rosemary adds a special touch...I decided to infuse the oranges in Gancia !! THE aperitif present at the beginning of all the barbecues: empanadas with Gancia, then meat with red wine...Malbec, of course!

In his original recipe, Francis Mallmann burns the oranges in little sugar...I preferred to caramelise them, for fear anyone would say..."Hey Cristina, you forgot you had the oranges in the skillet?" If you can't get Gancia, you can use Martini (not the same, though) or a Cointreau (more refined, though)... but Gancia, in spite of its Italian origin, is the real Argentinian thing....!

The Greek yogurt could  be replaced by some vanilla ice-cream...For those that know Buenos Aires...Freddo? (most famous icecream parlor) OMG!! Too much nostalgia !!!

Want the recipe?


For these Caramelised Oranges, with Rosemary and Gancia, you will need:

(serves 2)

 *oranges, 2

 * fresh rosemary leaves

 * brown sugar, 150gr

 * Gancia, 1/2cup

 * Greek yogurt, 250gr

Cut both ends off the oranges. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin and the white pith from each orange. Cut the oranges crosswide (3 slices each). Put them on a plate. Infuse them in Gancia, and sprinkle the rosemary leaves on top. Let rest 30'.

Heat a skillet with the sugar over medium heat. When a caramel begins to form, put the oranges in it. Don't move for 3/4'. Turn over. Cook 3/4' more.

Place the oranges on a dish. Spoon the yogurt next to the oranges. Drizzle the caramel over the oranges and yogurt. Serve.