A mandarin called Daisy

Friday morning gift from the market; a daisy mandarin.

There is something kind of childish about mandarins, playful and small.

These new (old maybe?) daisy mandarins are bigger than your normal mandarin, and with a magenta vibrancy in their skins, and the flavour is bold and aromatic like a good blood orange. Delicious. No, they are not seedless, and no, they are not easy peel, which means they'll not be a hit with those shoppers who prefer bland sweetness and consumability above all else. But I like them.

I loved mandarins when I was a kid, leaving little piles of meticulously peeled mandarin skins in the kitchen, when I ate them after school, which would infuriate my Dad. I think of those little piles now, when I save mandarin skins to put into glasses of green tea, to warm them up in winter. If only I'd known then that dried citrus skins make the best fire starters, we could have saved them then too. Mandarins are also great for baking with, since their skins have those incredible pockets of aromatic oil that burst when you peel them. Chocolate brownies made with olive oil and mandarin zest are perfectly delicious, but you have to grate the zest before you peel.

My beautiful 1 year old niece loves mandarins, especially the slightly sour ones. I'm taking this to be a sign of sophisticated taste buds. I can't wait to start Auntie cooking lessons with her. Until then I'll rabbit on about food to myself and anyone else that cares to listen, and settle for nibbling on her ears.

Mandarin Chocolate Brownies.

2/3 cup plain flour
125g dark 70% chocolate
1/3 cup fruity olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup raw castor sugar
1/3 a vanilla pod or 1 tsp essence
1 tablespoon mandarin zest

Preheat the oven to 175 C. With a tiny drop of olive oil lightly grease a square baking tin, and line with paper. (A brown paper bag works fine.) Scrape the black seeds from the vanilla pod, chop the chocolate and melt together over a low heat, then whisk in the oil. Add the mandarin zest, then cool. Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Add the essence now, if using. Fold in the chocolate mixture, fold in the flour and stir until combined. Pour into the tin and bake for 22 - 25 minutes. The top should be cracked, but a skewer inserted should come out wet.