Candied Citrus Peel

* Exported from MasterCook II *

CANDIED CITRUS PEEL

Recipe By : Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Hints, Tips & Misc

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 oranges, or 6 lemons or limes, or 2
grapefruits
2 cups granulated sugar, divided, plus extra for
layering stored peel
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or 1/4 tsp cream of
tartar

1. Wash the fruit well to remove any possible chemical residue. With a sharp
paring knife, quarter the oranges or grapefruit, then remove the
quarter-segments of peel. For lemons and limes, slice off wide strips of
peel, with the pith, cutting right down to the fruit. Ideally, the peel
should be about 1/8 inch thick, though thicker is all right. You should have
about 2 cups of loosely packed peel.

2. Put the peel into a medium heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan, add cold
water to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and boil gently for 15
minutes. Remove from the heat and let the peel stand in the hot water for 15
minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse well under very cold water; the peel
will feel soft. (Grapefruit peel is more bitter than the other types and is
best blanched in 3 changes of cold water, and each time it is brought to a
boil, simmered 10 minutes.)

3. With a tsp, carefully scrape off and discard the soft white pith inside
each segment of peel. Slice the peel into strips about 1/4 inch wide.

4. Prepare the syrup: In the same saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the
1/2 cup water, and the corn syrup or cream of tartar. Stir, then bring to a
boil, swirling the pan several times to help dissolve the sugar. Wash down
the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil the
syrup until it looks clear, then add the prepared peel, immersing it in the
syrup. Clip a candy thermometer, if using, to the pan. Boil the peel gently
over moderate heat for about 30 minutes, or until the syrup reaches 230F (a
little of the syrup dropped into ice water should form a thread; just before
the soft-ball stage) and most of the syrup has been absorbed. Remove from
the heat.

5. Put the remaining 1 cup sugar in a bowl or spread it in a pan. With a
slotted spoon, transfer the peel to the bowl or pan, and toss well to coat.
Transfer the peel to a wax paper-covered baking sheet, or a wire rack set
over a sheet of wax paper, to air-dry.

6. After several hours, or overnight, the peel should be crisp outside but
flexible and chewy inside. If too flabby and soft, it was not cooked long
enough in the syrup to a high enough temperature; if it is crisp enough to
crack when bent, it was cooked at too high a temperature but will still
taste good. Store the peel between layers of sugar in an airtight container.

YIELD: about 2 cups candied peel

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NOTES : Candied peel will last at least a year if packed in layers of
granulated sugar in an airtight container and kept in a cool dry place or
refrigerated.

Nutritional Analysis per 2 Tbsp (nearly identical for all cirtus peel):
90 calories
0.1 (trace) g protein
0.1 (trace) g fat
0 g satfat
23 g carbohydrate
Sodium - no data
0 mg cholesterol