By: Valerie
Frosting, sauces and garnishes, , ,

Candied Citrus Peel

Yield: about 1  1/2 cups
Recipe: 59/200
“Back to Baking”, pp. 321

Candied Orange

    Tis the season to… bake! In view of the holiday season I made a fruitcake for my dad (recipe to come), he just loves them during this time of year! To do so I needed candied orange. I had never done any similar garnishes, and I very happy with the simplicity of the recipe. It’s pretty much fool-proof. These candied orange peels are quite good, actually! Pleasantly sweet and soft.

Ingredients:

  • 2 whole oranges (alternatively, one can use lemons)
  • 1 cup sugar

Directions:

  1. Using a small paring knife, make a circle on the top and bottom of each fruit. Score down the citrus in 4-6 places and gently remove the peel. Make sure to remove any excess of white membrane and cut the peel into julienne strips.
  2. Bring a small pot of water up to a boil and add the citrus peel. Let the peel boil for 1 minute, then drain away the water.
    • Note: This step is important to remove some bitterness from the peel.
  3. Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a simmer and add the citrus peel. Gently simmer the peel until it becomes translucent, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the citrus cool in the syrup.
  4. Strain out the peel (you can reserve the syrup for other uses) and spread it out on a parchment paper-lined baking tray to dry a little. Store the peel in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes from Anna:

  • Do not refrigerate the citrus peel.
  • The reserved syrup can be used to poach pears, sweeten tea or to brush over a pound cake, for instance.

Valerie