Orange is our favorite color. It evokes so many iconic things: a sunset, a 1970s pantsuit, a traffic cone in the rain, a Buddhist monk’s robe. Orange is also the undisputed color of autumn—think pumpkins, Halloween, foliage—and here we are, merrily on our way into the depths of fall. It’s a lovely, fleeting time, which means it’s important to take time to enjoy the season’s best in orange. Orange foods range from the obvious to the far-out; we sampled a full array of orange hues of sweet, earthy, rich and tangy. Here are nine standouts, and don’t delay—this season’s over much too soon.
Shrimp Tandoor
America has not cornered the market on orange foods; far from it. Traditional Indian tandoori dishes are intensely, unmistakably orange. “Tandoor” refers to the clay cylinder that the food is cooked in, which gets and stays very hot and is ideal for roasting meat to perfect juiciness. At India Palace, the tandoori shrimp glows orange with spices including garam masala, garlic, ginger, cumin and cayenne pepper. Turmeric, a ginger-like root, lends a yellow-orange color, and a yogurt marinade seals in the moisture. Colorful jumbo shrimp lounge on the plate like royalty; they’re tender, slightly smoky and oh-so-orange. They’re served with earthy dal (lentils) and your choice of freshly-baked Indian bread. They’re all delicious, but we always go for the gorgeously puffed, chewy naan (flatbread). $21.95. 8362 Tamarack Village; 651.731.6300.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sweet and sour chicken hails from the atomic era of American fusion (if you can call it that) cuisine. Quintessential Chinese-American dishes are as comfortingly familiar as apple pie: egg foo young, chow mein and the perennial favorite, sweet and sour something. Asia Bistro’s sweet and sour chicken nails it: crispy-fried chunks of meat, red bell peppers, onions and pineapple glow with the deep, burnished orange of an addictive, sticky coating of nostalgic, tangy sweetness. $7.50. 10060 City Walk Drive; 651.788.9108.
Spaghetti and Mussels
Mussels are little Halloween-themed treasures from the sea—the black-shelled mollusks are coral-orange, smartly edged in black. Adherents of a good mussel will love the spaghetti and mussels at Angelina’s Kitchen, steamed with white wine, garlic, chopped fresh parsley, lots of butter and a bright squirt of lemon. Use a shell as a spoon to slurp up some juice; a hunk of good Italian bread makes an excellent sponge. The pasta deserves a mention too; the al dente tangle plays hide-and-seek with the mussels and makes another fine vehicle for the stellar juice. $13. 2170 Eagle Creek Lane; 651.998.0474.
Pumpkin Layer Cake
Sugar Love Bakery
Pumpkins are rich in fiber and stuffed with coveted vitamins like A, C, E and B. They’re also great sources of iron, magnesium, phosphorous and other trace minerals. No one really cares about that stuff—it’s the full-on yum that matters and the nutritional powerhouse thing is a nice little side bonus. Sugar Love’s pumpkin cake is stacked four layers high, filled and frosted with a knee-weakening cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The cake is light and fluffy and very moist, plus there are pecans inside. It’s very simply decorated with a scalloped edge: an elegant take on the basic elements of pumpkin pie, suitable for your next tea party. Made-to-order; call for a price estimate. 707 Bielenberg Drive; 651.340.1483.
Crispy Skin Duck
Cravings Wine Bar and Grille
Duck meat is dark, rich and permeated with luscious streaks of fat; its rarified texture and flavor places it firmly in delicacy land. A good duck likes its sugar; at Cravings, the fowl dons a cloak of beautiful apricot mostarda, a sweet-hot, mustard-spiked compote. This spectacularly tender meat, crispy skin and sweet-hot apricot needs nothing more, but we were nonetheless surprised and delighted by the accompanying arugula, caramelized onion waffle, and something we’ve never had before: smoked hazelnuts. An unusual, inspired gathering of textures and flavors; fire and earth, water and sky. $24. 755 Bielenberg Drive; 651.528.6828.
Orange Truffle Pops
Dorothy Ann Bakery and Cafe
Novelty
baked goods keep hitting the scene, taming every raging sweet tooth
into blissful submission. But cupcakes are soooo 2004; now it’s all
about truffle pops, and you can find them at Dorothy Ann’s. A truffle
pop is just that—a combination of a confectionary truffle and cake in
the shape of a lollipop. The little ball of cake-on-a-stick is dipped in
dense white chocolate and topped accordingly—orange-on-orange for us,
please! One cool thing about truffle pops is that you can eat just one
for a dainty treat, or several for an explosion of orange. Made from
scratch, decorated by hand. $1.99 each (minimum order six). 710 Commerce
Drive; 651.731.3323.
Hachiya Persimmon
The produce section in this upscale grocery store is a kaleidoscopic adventure. You’ll find all the usual orange stuff, like pumpkins and sweet potatoes and tangerines, as well as some weirder things, like kumquats and persimmons. Persimmons hit the market in the fall; the heart-shaped hachiya variety makes a pretty pile of glossy yellow orange. If you’ve never had one, you’re in for a treat. Let it get fully soft before you take a bite; the unripe fruit is all astringent tannins that’ll suck the life out of your mouth. It’s sweet, soft, and velvety, almost custardy—a ménage à trois of mango, plum and avocado. Eat it like you would an apple: peeled or not, quartered or munched whole. Seasonal market price. 8505 Valley Creek Road; 651.578.8800.
Tropical Mango Fruit Refresher
Grab some sunshine in a cup: it’s a good idea to load up for the months ahead. Jamba Juice, our trusty smoothie chain, whirls up a bunch of sunny quaffs; the tropical mango refresher is a creamy pale orange with knockout intensity. The base of passion fruit-mango juice blend is piercingly tart; fresh mangos, orange sherbet and potassium-rich coconut water add softness and body. It’s almost a milkshake; sipping one feels like a special occasion, although this treat has actual nutritional properties. $4.27. 8362 Tamarack Village; 651.731.9412.
Pumpkin Pie Blizzard
Please do not mention blizzards, not yet, unless it’s a blizzard of the DQ variety. The seasonal pumpkin pie blizzard is outrageous in authenticity and deliciousness. We love pumpkin pie, and this is darn near the real thing. Real pumpkin takes a whirl with vanilla soft serve ice cream and crunchy vanilla wafers. It comes with lots of whipped cream, sprinkled with fetching freckles of nutmeg. $4.49. 7450 Currell Blvd., 651.731.6878.
