Candied Citrus Zest Curls Food

CANDIED CITRUS ZEST

Steps:

• Cut the citrus into wedges and remove the flesh. Use a sharp paring knife to remove as much white pith as possible from the peels. Reserve and use the insides of the fruits for juice or another use.
• Place all the peels in a 2-quart saucepan. Cover the peels with water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and drain. Set the peels aside.
• Add the sugar, honey, and 1 1/2 cups (354ml) water to the empty pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook to dissolve all the sugar, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Add the reserved peels to the sugar syrup and reduce the heat to low; gently simmer until the syrup registers 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer or until the peels are bright and translucent looking. Stir the peels frequently. This should take about 1 hour. You do not want to caramelize the sugar at all, so keep the flame low and cook slowly. If the syrup begins to thicken before the peels have cooked through, you may need to add a touch more water to the pan during the cook time to slow down the candying process a bit.
• Cool the peels in the syrup until they reach room temperature. From here you can go in two different directions: you can store the candied peels in an airtight container in the syrup to keep it soft and hydrated. Alternately, you can dredge the peels in granulated sugar and set them on a wire rack overnight to create a dried candied zest confection. The sugared zest can then be stored at room temperature for months and months.

CANDIED CITRUS ZEST RECIPE

Steps:

• Set two pots of water (with 1 quart of water in each) to boil over high heat. By the time you're ready to start blanching, the water will be ready.
• Use a peeler and make long broad strokes from pole to pole of the fruit. Avoid digging into the pith, but don't fret if you've taken a bit as you peel.
• Chop the zest into thin strips if desired.
• Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl three quarters of the way with ice cubes and cold water. Set the bowl near the stove, along with a slotted spoon, spider, or small strainer.
• When water comes to a boil, add the zest to Pot #1 and allow it to simmer for 20 seconds. Remove zest from water, either by fishing it out with spider or pouring it through strainer into the sink. Rinse and refill Pot #1 with another quart of water, and return the pot to a boil.
• Plunge the zest into the bath of ice water. It's helpful to keep the strands inside the strainer in the bath to avoid having to pick the zest out of the ice.
• Repeat steps 5 and 6, first using Pot #2, and then using the newly boiled water in Pot #1. When you've finished the third round of blanching, retire Pot #1.
• When you've finished blanching in Pot #2, you can immediately set up for the final step: candying. Using the ratio of 1 cup fresh water to one cup sugar for every four fruits you've zested, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in Pot #2 and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Once all of the sugar has dissolved and syrup is bubbling, reduce heat to a simmer (just a few steady bubbles, as opposed to a rolling boil) and add the blanched zest. Simmer for about twenty minutes, until the zest is completely translucent and curling along edges. The syrup will become thicker and take on some color from peel. Store the zest in the syrup and allow it to cool before using. Refrigerate in a sealed container.

CANDIED CITRUS ZEST CURLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
• Zest fruit peels with the large hole of a zester, trying to make strips around 5 inches long. If you don't have a large option on your zester, you can use a vegetable peeler around the width of the fruit and cut the wide zest into narrow strips. Or you can be precise and follow the directions here.
• Dissolve 1 cup of the sugar in the water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly. When the sugar is fully dissolved, you shouldn't feel any crystals on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the zest and let simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, until the peel is translucent. #SpoonTip: To candy grapefruit zest, first boil the zest in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil 2-3 times with fresh water each time. Boiling eliminates the bitterness of the zest.
• Drain the mixture and toss the zest in the remaining sugar. Then, curl the zest around wooden skewers or toothpicks. #SpoonTip: The sugar-water is now a flavored simple syrup. Save it in an air-tight container in the fridge for iced tea or other baking uses.
• Place the skewered curls on parchment paper, careful not to let them touch each other, and bake at 175 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Remove zest from lemons with a vegetable peeler, keeping pieces long. Remove white pith using a paring knife. Cut into a fine julienne using a very sharp knife. Place julienned zest in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes; drain.
• Bring sugar and the cool water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When sugar is completely dissolved, add julienned zest, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight.

CANDIED CITRUS PEEL

Steps:

• Peel lemons with vegetable peeler; cut strips into thiness of your preference.
• Simmer water in a sauce pan, add rinds and let simmer for 10 min, remove.
• Bring sugar and water to a boil; let boil for 3 min until it becomes a syrup.
• Add rinds, reduce heat and let simmer in syrup for 5 minute Remove and let cool.
• Use rinds for garnish once cooled.

CITRUS CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• If using fresh sweet potatoes, slice in 1 1/4 inch slices, place in saucepan, cover with water and cook for 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
• Drain the potatoes and when cool enough to handle, remove the peel and place in a 2-quart casserole dish that has been lighly oiled or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• If using canned potatoes drain the potatoes and arrange in 2-quart casserole that has been prepared as indicated above.
• In a medium bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch; add orange juice, lemon juice, butter, vanilla and orange zest.
• Pour over potatoes and bake 50 to 60 minutes, basting occasionally with the sauce.
• These potatoes can be prepared ahead, refrigerated and baked the next day.

CANDIED CITRUS PEEL

Steps:

• Cut fruit into quarters; peel the rind (peel!) off. Cut peel into desired shape; make all the pieces the same so they cook the same.
• Put peel piece into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to boil, drain and repeat.
• Repeat step #2 two more times.
• After the third boil, leave peel in the strainer.
• Put 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 cups of water into the saucepan and 2 tablespoons of corn syrup into the sauce pan. Bring saucepan to a simmer on medium heat, add peel. If you're not using corn syrup, you will need to put the lid on the pan to simmer it for 6 minutes before continuing. Let it cook, uncovered, at a rolling simmer until it is done. For hard-ish candy, cook until the liquid is almost gone, and for chewy candy cook until only 3-5 spoonfuls of liquid is left.
• Put peels into strainer and let cool until you can touch it.
• Put peels into a bowl, add some sugar, and toss them together. Toss every 15 minutes until really cool and the candy is coated with sugar.
• For best results, spread the candy on racks to dry. For harder candy, cook it and dry it for longer, for soft and almost chewy candy, cook and dry it less.
• Store candy in airtight containers. If you store them in the fridge they will seem very hard- but only because they are cold!

CITRUS CANDIED NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F.
• Generously grease 151/2x101/2x 1-inch jelly roll pan.
• Beat egg white in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
• Add almonds and pecans; stir until coated.
• Stir in powdered sugar, lemon juice, orange peel, lemon peel and nutmeg.
• Turn out onto prepared pan, spreading nuts in single layer.
• Bake 30 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.
• Turn off oven.
• Let nuts stand in oven 15 minutes more.
• Immediately remove nuts from pan to sheet of foil.
• Cool completely.
• Store up to 2 weeks in air tight container.