One of my favorite presents on Christmas morning is the tangerine in the toe of my stocking! No matter what else there might be sticking out of the top, the tangerine at the end is always a huge treat. It is a really old tradition. In earlier times, the gift of citrus was a huge deal at Christmastime, since it was an imported fruit and rare in northern climes like England and France. An orange might be the only gift you received, and that was huge!
Here is a playful and quick fruit salad you can make up with any extra tangerines (in case Santa dropped off the rest of the tangerine bag in the kitchen!)
Tangerine Toes
6 tangerines, peeled and deveined
½ cup sweetened, dried cranberries
½ cup walnut pieces
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar*
½ tsp. vanilla
Peel and clean the tangerines, then pull them into individual segments.
Cut each segment in half across the middle, removing any seeds. (Don’t cut any further, as half a tangerine segment looks a lot like a toe!)
Add cranberries and walnuts.
Mix maple syrup, vanilla and balsamic together. Drizzle over fruits, toss to coat.
Chill until ready to serve!
*Red wine balsamic vinegar will give the salad a bit of a brown color. If you want to keep the colors bright, use a white grape balsamic (the flavors will be the same).
