Open a typical cookbook and see how many “apple recipes” you find, then see how many are “orange recipes.” In my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, the score is 16 for apples and 9 for oranges. In a Martha Stewart Cookbook, it was six to one.

I bring it up because orange is a wonderful flavor, oozing with talent. It works either as a backdrop or as a primary flavor, and we ought to see more orange-oriented recipes. Oranges work with everything from vanilla to chocolate. They work with sweet spices. Cinnamon is particularly nice with oranges. And oranges work with most of the soft fruits, from strawberries to peaches.

So, let’s talk about a few scrumptious things we can make with oranges (‘tis the season, you know). One of my favorite professional bakers and food connoisseurs, Dennis Weaver, has some delicious suggestions.

First of all, how about pepping up French toast with it? It’s the zest that adds orange flavor to your baking, not the juice. So Dennis says to add one tablespoon of fresh zest to three tablespoons of sugar for a bright orange flavor. Here’s his recipe. This is so good, you just may want to serve it for brunch or even for a “breakfast-for-dinner” entrée. Other delicious ways to use the heavenly orange (besides those popular orange cakes):

• Adding freshly squeezed orange juice as the liquid in buttercream frosting.
• Adding freshly squeezed orange juice to softened cream cheese along with a little powdered sugar to make another luscious frosting.
• Adding orange zest to sweet roll dough (not just the frosting) when making orange rolls.
• Combining orange zest and freshly squeezed juice with cranberries or raisins when making quick breads.
• Adding orange emulsion and a little freshly grated zest to sweetened whipped cream.
• Creating a meat marinade with fresh orange juice.
• Mixing orange zest and juice into carrot soup.
• Making marmalade, obvious, but not often done.
• Creating a glaze for baked duck or chicken.
• Adding slices to fennel for a fresh green salad.
• Blending freshly squeezed juice with milk and a smidge of vanilla for a wonderful homemade Orange Julius.

Besides the fantastic flavor oranges give food, using more orange in the diet has some very real health benefits. During the winter months, we want to increase our intake of vitamin C to boost our immune system. Oranges are just the ticket for that; they’re a great source of vitamin C. This fruit also contains pectin, which has been shown to reduce cholesterol. And research says the flavonoids in oranges also protect against heart disease.

So, between the beauty of this fruit, its exceptional taste, its unique versatility, and its health benefits, we really ought be using it more, wouldn’t you agree? And now’s the time to stock up. So let’s all raise a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to the idea, and get cook’n!