Making Pretty Orange Segments, aka Supreming
January 16th, 2007
Stumble it!
I’ve always marveled at the perfect orange segments that sit atop food at fancy restaurants. They are wonderfully juicy and don’t have a hint of rind, pith, or skin on them. The technique that produces these pretty slices is easy, provided you have a sharp knife and a few extra minutes.
Step One
Slice the ends off your orange, so you can see a little bit of the fruit below. Peel off the rind, exposing the stringy white pith. Working carefully with a very sharp knife, slice off the pith, being careful not to remove too much of the orange meat as you go. Your orange should now look like this:
Step Two
You should see the divisions between each segment as little white lines. Use the length of your knife (not the point) to slice in towards the center of the orange, as close to the membrane as possible. Stop when you reach the end of the segment – you should feel resistance when you get there. Repeat the process for the other side of the segment. You might need to turn the knife towards the middle of the segment to release it from the orange. You should now have a perfect wedge.
Step Three
Repeat for all the segments, working your way around the orange, folding the empty membranes back under your had as you go.
You should just have the orange membranes left over. Be sure to squeeze this for the juice before you toss it.
Perfect orange segments. That wasn’t that hard, was it?
11 Comments
1. Nikki | January 16th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
You are the vegan Martha Stewart! :)
2. corrie | January 16th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
this is an exceptional food blog. i read all the way back, and you’ve really grown into a format and work it well.
thank you.
3. madeinalaska | January 16th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
huh? I just stumbled across your beautiful blog here! Very nice work..
4. Lolo (VeganYumYum) | January 17th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
nikki – aww, thanks!
corrie – Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment! You brightened my day. :)
madeinalaska – thanks!!
5. Carol | June 21st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
what is the left over part of the orange called – after you have removed all of the segments
6. Michellenade | August 21st, 2007 at 2:20 am
Quit being brilliant, okay?
7. VeganYumYum » Mini &hellip | February 13th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
[...] syrup, or reduce the syrup and drizzle it over the cakes for serving. Fresh blood orange segments, supremed, compliment the sweet cakes perfectly. And hey, they’re [...]
8. she sliced into a segment&hellip | October 31st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
[...] http://veganyumyum.com/2007/01/making-pretty-orange-segments/ [...]
9. WebGL Lesson 11 – spher&hellip | December 18th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
[...] The lines of longitude are different; they divide the sphere into segments. If you were to slice a sphere up along its lines of longitude, it would come apart rather like an orange. [...]
10. Diane-The W.H.O.L.E. Gang | March 22nd, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Great job! I’m linking to this so people can see exactly how this is done for my, deep breath, Roasted Red and Yellow Beet Salad with Avocado, Oranges, Red Onion and Toasted Pine Nuts. So glad you posted this so I could share it.
Hope to see you at Food BlogHer 10 too!
11. Roasted Red and Yellow Be&hellip | March 23rd, 2010 at 5:07 pm
[...] Cut each beet into 1/4 inch slices. Make sure you wipe down the knife before changing colors. Segment the orange (over the bowl you’ll mix the dressing into), slice the avocado and red onion and wash up the frisee and watercress. For a good representation on how to segment an orange visit Vegan Yum Yum’s post on Making Pretty Orange Segments, AKA Supreming. [...]