Driving to work, it is really cold and it has been raining for two days none stop. Half way to the clinic fog starts to descend, first the building tops start to disappear, then the tree tops and then I can only see the car  ahead of me. As a kid, fog always fascinated me, when we studied the science of it “a cloud touching the earth’s surface” it was even more fascinating. To walk in the fog meant you are walking among the clouds, it was like something out of a fairy tale. As a grown up though, fairy tales are not the first thing that comes to mind when you see fog, it is road safty ,fog lights, traffic  and worrying about the kids if they have school.

This time though, driving in the fog, I was thinking that in life sometimes the sky is clear and the road is straight and you can see for miles ahead.You know where you are going and you know where you came from. At other times, it is like driving in the fog, you can only see a few steps ahead of you, you are not sure of what is coming next or what’s behind the next bend, but you have to keep going, slowly, carefully but still you have to keep going because the fog, the uncertainty, the hard times are only there for a little while. and if you keep going you will make it through the fog, through it all.

Clementine orange dessert balls is one of many candied orange and citrus peel recipes that my mum makes in the winter.  This particular recipe comes from my mum’s cousin, the same one I got the honey sesame biscotti recipe from. The recipe couldn’t be simpler yet it really lets that citrus fragrant flavor of the clementines shine. You don’t have to make these into balls, you can use the same recipe as preserves to serve with scones or fill a cake or even to stuff cookies. I love them as these little dessert balls,they are a great way to satisfy a sweet craving because the flavors are so intense you don’t need more than one or two. They make wonderful gifts,  you can serve them at parties and they keep in the fridge for a very long time

Clementine orange dessert balls recipe

Clementine orange peel

sugar

lemon juice

Soak your orange peel in water for two days, changing the water once or twice every day

In the food processor pulse the orange peel until it is the size of lentils or a little finer

For each cup of ground orange peel add 1 cup of sugar if you plan on storing these for a long time . I use 1/2  to 2/3 of a cup and keep them in the fridge.

In a pot cook the orange peel and sugar with the juice of half a lemon until the orange peel is translucent and the mix thickens

Take off the heat and allow to cool completely

Roll about a heaped teaspoon of the mix between your hands to form a ball.

Roll the balls in shredded coconut or ground pistachios or ground almonds. You can also dip these clementine orange dessert balls  in chocolate if you want to take them to a whole new level 🙂