The other day I was peeling a clementine at my kitchen table when I was called away and distracted for several hours. When I returned to my little pile of peels and segments, I noticed that the segments had already started to dry out. Not one to waste anything, I popped a segment in my mouth and wow! What a delicious treat!
The slightly dried out outer layer of the clementine shattered in my mouth as if it was made of a very thin layer of sugar. Underneath, the segment was still succulent and full of juice, which squirted in my mouth creating a textural cacophony that was really fun. It may have been my imagination, but the slight drying seemed to have concentrated the flavors, too.
I recalled then that this was something M.F.K. Fisher used to do with tangerines when she was first living in Strasbourg before WWII:
"In the morning, in the soft sultry chamber, sit in the window peeling tangerines, three or four. Peel them gently; do not bruise them...separate each plump little pregnant crescent...Take yesterday's paper (when we were in Strasbourg L'Ami du Peuple was the best, because when it got hot the ink stayed on it) and spread it on the radiator...After you have put the pieces of tangerine on the paper on the hot radiator, it is best to forget about them...On the radiator the sections of tangerines have grown even plumper, hot and full. You carry them to the window, pull it open, and leave them for a few minutes on the packed snow on the sill. They are ready...I cannot tell you why they are so magical. Perhaps it is that little shell, thin as one layer of enamel on a Chinese bowl, that crackles so tinily, so ultimately under your teeth. Or the rush of cold pulp just after it. Or the perfume. I cannot tell."
I cannot give you a recipe, for every room temperature and humidity level is different. In my case, with the smaller clementine segments and a fairly warm and dry room, neither the radiator or the snowy windowsill was necessary. But the forgetting about them for several hours is a must!
Related: Look! Candied Whole Clementines
(Image: Dana Velden)
How to Bake a Potato in the Oven
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Just thinking I should eat more of those clementines on my counter. Going to try this now!
Now dip the dried-out segments in dark chocolate-- even better!
Sounds wonderful, something to try...hard to even imagine!?
Funny, I discovered this recently too. I'll peel a clementine (or Satsuma orange--even better than clementines where I am) to give my 1 year old, but he doesn't eat all of it. So half of it sits on the counter until I'm grazing the counters... and yep--the slightly dried out skin just bursts in my mouth. I love it!
I realized this awhile ago, because every time I get clementines, if my pet bird is in the same room as them he will try to steer me by the shoulder over to get him one. I'll give him a segment, and set the rest aside for later, and by the time I get to them they have crispy outsides. mmmmm.
Not eager to try this...I routinely try dried out clementines from my kid's lunch box. They always taste tart and a little "off" to me. Maybe an extra long drying out session is better.
This is one of my favourite MFK stories.
It's the middle of winter, it's freezing cold, and MFK is trying to stave off the wolf beating at her door because she is poor. What does she do? Opens the window and lets out all the heat.
The things we do for the love of food ;)
Amazing! Put a wedge on top of my monitor at work today...3 hours ago and it is at least as delicious as described. Thanks!
One of my favorite things, i recently discovered it works with regular sized oranges as well. Yum!
Wow, I thought you were all a bit nuts when I read this post, but I had to see for myself.
It's so....delightfully odd! Exactly as described above. Love it!
Currently on hour three of this. Follow along on twitter or instagram. @KatieinNYC. Calling it #projectclementine. So fun to track the changes each hour.
KatieinNYC: Loved #projectclementine and glad you enjoyed the whole process! And I also really like updating the radiator to a monitor. Maybe not quite as romantic but very practical!
Ahhhh... Thanks for reminding me about MFK Fisher. It's way past time that I re-read her.
Here's another trick with orange or tangerine peels. Peel them over a layer of oreo cookies or chocolate wafers you've put in a tin. The orange oil will spray over the cookies. Throw the peel in with the cookies and close the lid for a few days. Open and enjoy orange scented oreos.
no, does not taste good.
My oven has a dehydrating fruit and vegetables button I've never tried. Maybe I should use it for this.
The key word is "forgetting." I don't think a ripe, peeled clementine sitting out where I can see it would last more than about ten seconds.
I'm with IKB. If you can get Satsumas where you are, they are better than Clementines.
I will have to try this trick. I can't imagine anything better than a freshly peeled Satsuma.
I found that not only Clementines but also Grapefruits for example could house - or collect - even more juice when getting old. Maybe the hardening of the peel helps to provide evaporation?! (In the kitchen I clearly do prefer mature, sometimes even hard and wizen fruits ; ))
So many useful little tips! I can't wait to try this and the oreo thing too. Between this post and the one about turning the peel into a candle I think I should go to the grocery right now and stock up on Clementines.
Also, not to be picky, but I don't think cacophony means what you think it does.
I do this with grapefruit and oranges all the time. I like the snap when you bite into them.
donkenzie: You're right. Scratch cacophony and make it 'symphony' or better yet 'rumpus' or even 'hurly-burly'!
Ah, but it's hard to go wrong with clementines, no matter how you eat them!!!
Merriam-Webster's Definition of CACOPHONY
: harsh or discordant sound : dissonance 2; specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases
Am I the only person who can't stand eating the skin on citrus segments? I love them but they're too much work with all that peeling.