Mimmo's "oranges confits"

Home made "oranges confits"

Can you smell the sweet, savory fragrance drifting from our kitchen?

I really wish you could. It's being emitted by the simmering concoction of citrusy slices and suger cooking on the stove. The heat of the fire will slowly and gently convert them into delicious conserved orange slices" des oranges confits".

This story began a few years after we moved into our apartment in June 1996.

In the yard downstairs are two small orange trees. They have the most wonderfully scented flowers in the Spring and are always full of oranges. But the trees are more or less decorative orange trees , and the oranges they yield are bitter . You can't just peel them like a navel orange and eat them. They're NOT good.

For a long time we thought they were bergamot, but after doing some research, I know now they are not bergamot, but a type of bitter orange.

These rather rugged looking but very orange fruits would mature on the trees, rot , fall to the ground and noone seemed to care a bit.

One day Mimmo, who loves to cook and make jams of all kinds, decided to end the waste of the abandonned oranges and began making marmalade and conficture with them.

Heaven only knows over they years HOW MANY recycled pickle, honey, mustard, jam etc. jars were filled with Mimmo's delicious marmalades and confictures.

This year's oranges, however were all made into "orange confits"...orange slices cooked down with sugar.

I love watching them, as they're boiled down and transformed from something rough, hard and almost inedible, into soft, shimmering , tender "barques" swimming in a lucious sea of orange nectar . Smelling their marvelous perfum all evening long, inspired me to tell you about them, and to take pictures so you can see for yourself....It's not that I think we're the only ones who make or who've ever made confictures or "oranges confits"..I'm sure many of you make all kinds of delectable, delicious jams and marmalades, each one with it's unique fragrance and color. But I'm still going to share Mimmo's with you, because it's just sooo good, and also as we say here in Morocco,it's a" plaisir des yeux", a delight for your eyes!!






In the very first picture you saw the oranges on the tree..here they are picked , washed, dried and ready to be cut! Notice their rough , thick peel. Once cut into slices, they're covered with water, cooked , then cooled . Next all the seeds are removed and the sugar is added.

He uses two kilos of sugar to about twelve oranges..or two basically kilos of oranges.


With the sugar added the conversion begins...little by little the rich fluid and pulp begin to boil and bubble . Little by little they are united to become a deep golden , bitter -sweet, fragrant delice.

And after cooking over a very low fire for about two hours, it's ready to be put into jars.

One at a time, slice by slice they're gently dropped into their well.

Almost full

Last one in

Mimmo, adding the wonderful "jelly" that forms like juice.

The cooling jars, dripping with home made goodness.

Don't touch, they're hot and sticky. It's best to wash them off after they've cooled a bit.

The two jars to the left are the juice. It's delicious mixed into natural yoghourt, drizzled on crêpes or cakes.

And these are good anytime, especially after a meal. I had no cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving and I served the oranges slices in their stead. A perfect subsitution!!

So that is the story of Mimmo's "ornages confits". Hope you enjoyed it!!

H