We're getting a bit tired of winter's oranges, but juicy, so-red-they're-violet blood oranges caught our attention at the Civic Center Farmer's Market and we to buy some. We like the hallmark taste that most describe as a blend of oranges and raspberries, even if we have to deal with a bit more bitterness than we'd get from normal oranges. If the purported health benefits of the anthocyanins that create that ruby-red color help stave off the cold that's going around, so much the better.

Want the darkest possible sample? In Chez Panisse Fruits, Alice Waters suggests that Moro blood oranges from California's inland valleys and desert seem to have the deepest color, but there's always the chance you'll cut open a blood orange and find that it just looks, well, orange.

Maybe it's trite of us to suggest you use blood orange slices in a salad with regular oranges, baby spinach, and a crumbly blue cheese, but the vibrant colors might help you forget the rainy days for a little while. Besides, why argue with a good thing?

For a less common dish, marinate Muscovy duck breasts in lightly salted blood orange juice for an hour and then glaze them with a blood orange-star anise reduction while you pan sear and roast them until rare. We liked the way the weighty feel, orange blossom aromas and crisp acidity of an Alsatian Gewurztraminer went with this dish. If local restaurants are any indication, we think there's a law that requires you to fan duck breasts on a bed of sauteed greens. But we can't deny it makes for a pretty plate. Recipes past the jump.

Photo and recipes copyright Derrick Schneider.

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