Easy Candied Lemon Zest Food

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.

EASY CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• With a sharp vegetable peeler, cut long strips of zest from lemons, being sure not to take any of the bitter white pith. Slice the strips into ⅛-inch-thick strands.
• Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan; add the zest and simmer until translucent, about 20 min. Remove from heat and let cool in the syrup.
• Strain zest and use for garnish. Use the syrup in drinks or on pancakes. You can refrigerate both for 2 weeks.

CANDIED-LEMON POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Make the pound cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, then line with parchment paper in two overlapping strips, leaving an overhang. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Grate the zest of 1 1/2 lemons and remove the remaining zest in wide strips with a vegetable peeler. Juice both lemons into a small bowl; set aside.
• Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a medium bowl until slightly foamy; set aside. Beat the butter and 1 cup cane sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes, adding the grated lemon zest after about 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour until just combined. Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl; increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, 15 to 30 seconds.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden and the top springs back when gently pressed, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the lemon syrup: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the lemon zest strips and cook 1 minute; drain. Repeat twice, using fresh water each time; drain and transfer the lemon zest to a cutting board. Wipe out the saucepan.
• Thinly slice the lemon zest strips and return to the saucepan along with the reserved lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 cup cane sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar; cook until slightly reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve; reserve the syrup and candied zest.
• Remove the cake from the oven, transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Poke 12 holes in the top of the cake, then brush with half the lemon syrup. Let soak 5 minutes, then lift the cake from the pan and remove the parchment. Transfer to a rack. Poke a few holes in the sides of the cake, then brush all over with the remaining lemon syrup. Let cool completely.
• Make the glaze: Combine the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons heavy cream and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until thick and smooth; thin with the remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream, if needed. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake and top with the candied lemon zest. Let set at least 20 minutes.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Zest lemons with a vegetable peeler into long strips. Remove pith; cut strips into fine julienne. Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add zest; boil 5 minutes. Cover, and remove from heat; let cool. Strain off syrup before using. Zest can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

CANDIED LEMON PEEL

Steps:

• Cut lemons into slices about 1/4 inch thick and remove the fruit pulp. Cut the rings in half so the peels are in long strips.
• Bring water and lemon peel to a boil in a small pan. Drain water, and repeat with fresh cold water. Repeat the boiling step three times (see Editor's Note). Drain and set peels aside.
• Combine 2 cups fresh water with 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to low and stir in citrus peels; simmer until the white pith is translucent. Store peels in syrup, refrigerated, to keep them soft, or allow them to dry. Toss dry candied peels in additional sugar and store airtight at room temperature.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST FOR DESSERTS

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel zest from lemons. Use a knife to remove any white pith; cut zest as thinly as possible.
• Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add zest; blanch for 1 minute, drain, and rinse under cold water.
• In another medium saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water; bring to a simmer. Cook until sugar dissolves completely, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest. Simmer until translucent, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat; let zest cool in syrup. When cool, transfer zest and syrup to an airtight plastic container.

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 LEMON SLICES

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut lemon into 12 paper-thin slices; discard seeds and ends of rind.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and add lemon slices; stir until softened, about 1 minute. Drain, and immediately plunge slices into ice-water bath. Drain.
• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium skillet, swirling to dissolve sugar. When liquid is clear and bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low. Add lemon slices, arranging them in one layer with tongs. Simmer (do not let boil) until rinds are translucent, about 1 hour.
• Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let stand until ready to serve. Lemon slices can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.