Moroccan Orange & Cinnamon Salad

Combine the caster sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes until the syrup is slightly thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Add the orange blossom water, rose water, and fresh lemon juice to the cooled syrup and stir to combine. The syrup should smell intensely floral and fragrant — orange blossom water is the defining flavour of this dessert and its perfume should be clearly present. Taste the syrup and adjust: if it tastes flat, add a little more orange blossom water; if it tastes too sweet, add a few more drops of lemon juice. Set aside to cool completely while you prepare the oranges. The syrup can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in a sealed jar in the fridge.

The way the oranges are cut is as important as any other element of this dish — thin, even rounds with all the white pith removed are what make the salad elegant rather than rustic. Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of each orange so it sits flat and stable on the board. Working from top to bottom, cut away the peel and all the white pith in long, downward strokes following the curve of the fruit, rotating the orange as you go. Remove every trace of white pith — it is bitter and will undermine the delicate floral sweetness of the finished salad. Once peeled, slice each orange crossways into rounds approximately 5mm thick — thin enough to be delicate but thick enough to hold their shape and not collapse. Remove any pips as you go. Arrange the orange rounds in overlapping concentric circles on a large, flat serving plate or platter, or layer them in a shallow serving bowl. The presentation of the sliced oranges is part of the beauty of this dessert — take a moment to arrange them neatly.

Spoon the cooled orange blossom syrup evenly over the arranged orange slices, making sure every slice is lightly coated. The syrup will pool slightly in the hollows of the overlapping slices and around the base of the plate — this is correct; it becomes the dressing that each person spoons over their portion. Dust the cinnamon generously and evenly over the entire surface of the oranges through a fine sieve — the cinnamon should be clearly visible as a warm, reddish-brown dusting over the bright orange fruit. Do not be timid with the cinnamon; it is a primary flavour here, not a garnish. Cover the plate loosely with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours. The chilling time allows the oranges to absorb the syrup and the flavours to meld — a freshly dressed salad served immediately is good; one that has had 1–2 hours in the fridge is significantly better. The orange juice released by the sliced fruit mingles with the syrup as it chills, creating a more complex, deeply flavoured dressing.

Remove the salad from the fridge 10 minutes before serving — it should be cold but not fridge-cold, which mutes the fragrance of the orange blossom water. Scatter the fresh mint leaves generously over the surface just before serving — not before, as the mint will wilt and darken if added too early. If using, scatter the pomegranate seeds over the mint for a jewel-like finish, and arrange the sliced Medjool dates around the edge of the plate. Give the plate a final light dusting of cinnamon if the first dusting has been absorbed. Serve directly from the platter at the table, spooning the syrup that has pooled at the base of the plate over each portion. This dessert is best eaten the day it is made, though it will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours — the oranges begin to break down and the mint wilts beyond that point.