Blood oranges are here for a short time, so its best to use them frivolously

On the face of it, blood oranges look exactly the same as their regular name sakes but nothing could prepare me for what lay beneath the regular looking fruit. Slice them open to reveal decadent, ruby red flesh.

They evoked simultaneous feelings of fascination and a little bit of horror in me. When I was reassured there was no blood involved I ate them with gusto.

Each one is different – the blood reference could be a smattering of mottled red nestling among the segments or it could be a full blown sphere of lush scarlet. The wonderful enigma is that you never know until you slice.

They are at their sweetest now due to cold nights that have followed warm Mediterranean winter days. The best varieties come from Sicily and though not cheap, they provide a burst of sunshine to an otherwise dreary month.

Some retailers have tried to rename them “blush” oranges in case people find the word blood upsetting but the word blush really doesn’t cut it in terms of describing the robust, colourful drama.

Citrus generally is at peak condition and you could substitute regular oranges – they just won’t have that sultriness. If a regular orange is a good old reliable pair of slippers, blood oranges are the Jimmy Choos of the food world.

They can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Duck and orange is a classic combination where duck is roasted and served with an orange infused jus.

Rather than lose blood oranges in a sauce I think they need to be seen and in the recipe here they’re paired with a cured duck prosciutto and beetroot salad. The duck is cured then cooked, thinly sliced and served with a salad of raw grated beetroot and the oranges. Serve on one big platter or as a starter.

For something sweet I’ve added a recipe for Sable Breton with diplomat cream and blood oranges. It sounds very French and exotic but it’s essentially shortbread, custard and oranges. The shortbread is a traditional recipe from Brittany where egg yolks are whisked with sugar, butter is whisked with sugar and they’re combined with flour.

Sable translates as “sandy” and they have a crumbly texture making it ideal to eat with a spoon as opposed to a crunchy one which has the tendency to skite into the next room when you cut into it…..Diplomat cream is a set custard with whipped cream added. The zest of the blood oranges is candied and the flesh segmented to add a lovely zing to all that buttery creaminess.

Blood oranges are here for a short time, so use them frivolously.