The truckers have finally left Ottawa . Russia has invaded Ukraine and the world feels like a very scary place right now. Ice cream might not be the first thing you think about making in late winter, but the world seems a bit upside down right now, so I vote for winter ice cream.

I don’t normally comment on world events on this blog, but it feels wrong to go about business as usual and not acknowledge what is happening. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Ukrainian nation. If you’re looking for ways to show your support, the Globe and Mail published an excellent list a few days ago. And if you’re looking to educate yourself a bit more about the conflict and understand a bit of the history of this region, I highly recommend these podcasts by Today Explained.

Back to the regularly scheduled program. Do you guys know about Cara Cara oranges? I feel like they don’t get as much attention as they deserve, because of their more flamboyant cousin, the Blood Orange. Cara Cara oranges are a bit more bashful, but, in my humble opinion, much more delicious than blood oranges. While they look like a regular navel orange on the outside, inside, their flesh is a lovely pink colour. They’re sweeter and less acidic than a regular navel orange. They have a delicious “berry-like” flavour. They’re only available for a few short months each winter.

If you have an ice cream maker, (I have and love this one) this is a really simple recipe to put together. Mix orange zest, juice, sugar, buttermilk and cream together and pour into ice cream machine for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a covered container and freeze for a few hours.

The buttermilk gives the ice cream a nice tangy flavour that really complements the sweet Cara Cara oranges. Scoop it into a cone or bowl or get fancy like me and hollow out some orange halves. The best tool for removing the inside flesh is a grapefruit spoon. It’s one of my favourite kitchen tools. I also use it for scraping out the stringy bits of squash after you pull out the seeds.

I garnished with some dried orange slices from this Etsy shop. They arrived so quickly and in perfect condition. They would look beautiful on a Cara Cara Orange Pound Cake too!