It snowed today. It’s the second week in May, and instead of planting pansies, I’m wondering where the snow shovel is hiding. So, as all good bakers do, I turned my back to the window, faced the stove, and created a more comforting reality. Today I invented Orange Crispy Rice Squares. Take that, Snow Flurries.
Not only are these squares a citrusy antidote to the weather, they’re also a delicious way to use up some of the frozen orange juice concentrate leftover from the buttercream icing that topped last week’s No-Egg Spice Cake.
My Adaptation Process
There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel. The classic butter-marshmallow-cereal combination works, so I stuck to it. With my Browned-Butter Crispy Rice Squares, I increased the butter to compensate for the water that boils off when browning butter and add extra butter flavour. In this version, I reduced the butter knowing I would be adding liquid in the form of frozen orange juice concentrate. .I also added orange zest to boost the flavour. And that’s it. Easy peasy orange squeezy.
How to Zest Citrus
I thought zesting was a simple task until I taught hands-on classes. Most people remove too much of the zest. The secret is to take off only the colourful outer layer and leave the bitter white pith on the fruit.
To do this, use a Microplane® zester. Hold the fruit in your non-dominant hand and the zester in your dominant hand. Pull the Microplane across the fruit’s surface, in clean, short strokes, rotating the citrus as you zest. Pass the Microplane over any given spot only a couple of times. When you think, “One more swipe!” STOP. You’ve likely taken off enough zest. Less is definitely more in this situation.
AVOIDING CITRUS WASTE
Once citrus has been zested, the fruit dries out quickly if left in the open. And if you wrap it to prevent this? It goes mouldy. So what do you do? Whenever a recipe calls for either freshly squeezed juice or grated zest, prepare both and freeze what you don’t need.
FREEZING ZEST
Place zest in a small, airtight container, making sure to label it with the content and date to avoid UFOs (Unidentified Frozen Objects). Don’t skip this step. Once frozen, lemon and orange zest look remarkably alike. Zest will keep in the freezer for up to 1 year. To use it in recipes, simply remove what you need — no need to defrost.
FREEZING JUICE
Before the freshly grated fruit has a chance to harden, juice it, and remove any seeds. You will get more juice if you zap it in the microwave on High for 10 to 15 seconds and then roll it on the counter, pressing firmly with your palms. (Do this before you zest the fruit, or you could end up with juice all over your counter.) Measure 1-tablespoon (15 mL) amounts into the compartments of an ice-cube tray. Freeze solid, then transfer the juice cubes to a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container. Be sure to label the bag before freezing. As with zest, once frozen, various citrus juices look confusingly similar. Frozen juice will keep for up to 1 year, but its flavour will begin to degrade after 6 months.
This citrus-kissed twist on a classic gets its flavours from orange zest and frozen orange juice concentrate.
Scale
Ingredients
1/3 cup (40 g) salted butter 1 package (10 oz/283g) mini marshmallows* or 40 large 2 tablespoons (30 ml) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed Finely grated zest of 1 orange 6 cups (180g) crisp rice cereal*
Instructions
Line a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan with parchment leaving overhang for easy removal. Tear a small second sheet of parchment and set aside.
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and smooth. Remove pot from heat. (Alternatively, in a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter and marshmallows on High in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.)
Add the orange juice concentrate and zest, stirring until well incorporated. Stir in the rice cereal, mixing to coat well.
Working quickly, transfer the mixture into the prepared pan, place the second parchment sheet on top and press the mixture flat with the palm of your hand. Be sure to press the mixture into the edges of the pan as well.
Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Remove from pan using the parchment overhang, and cut into squares.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
* This recipe can be gluten-free depending on the brand of marshmallows and rice cereal.
Keywords: rice cereal, marshmallows, orange zest, frozen orange juice concentrate
