I recently found a delightful recipe for Orange Puffs with Orange Sauce in a hundred-year-old cookbook. The puffs are baked in a muffin pan, and are tender and moist with a hint of orange. Served with the refreshing, sunny orange sauce, this dessert is a winner.
Here’s the original recipe:
And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Orange Puffs with Orange Sauce
Orange Puffs
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Preheat oven to 400° F. Put flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl; stir to combine. Add milk, egg, and butter; and beat thoroughly. Then stir in the grated orange peel. Grease a muffin pan, then spoon batter into muffin cups. Fill each cup about 3/4ths full. Place in oven. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until lightly browned and the muffins spring back when lightly touched. Serve warm with Orange Sauce.
Orange Sauce
1 orange
1 1/4 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
2 tablespoons water + 1 cup water
Grate orange peel (reserving 1 tablespoon for the Orange Puffs) and then juice orange; set aside.
Put the cornstarch and salt in a sauce pan. Add 2 tablespoons of water; stir until smooth. Add additional 1 cup water. Bring to a boil using medium heat while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Add orange juice and grated orange peel; bring back to a boil, then remove from heat. Serve warm.
Cook’s note: My rule of thumb for using cornstarch is 1 tablespoon cornstarch for each cup of liquid. The amount of cornstarch may need to be adjusted depending upon how much juice is gotten from the orange.
