Make Your Own Candied Orange Peel Food

MAKE YOUR OWN CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Wash and peel two large navel oranges. If the orange peel has a large amount of pith (the white part), cut some of it away with a sharp paring knife.
• Cut the peel into strips about ¼ inch wide.
• Place peel in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drain. Repeat this step 2 more times.
• Set peel aside.
• Combine 1½ cups of sugar and ½ cup of water in the saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until soft thread stage (232 degrees).
• Add the drained peel and continue simmering gently. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the peels have a translucent quality. Don't stir while cooking as this could cause the formation of large sugar crystals.
• Drain the peels, roll in additional granulated sugar and let dry overnight on a rack.
• Store the candied peel in an airtight container.

SIMPLE CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Cut peel on each orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment (including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Cook in large pot of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again.
• Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain.
• Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel from sugar; transfer to sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days. DO AHEAD: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months.

CANDIED ORANGE

Steps:

• Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.
• Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.
• Cook's Note: One way to use orange peels is to stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.

CANDIED CITRUS PEEL

Steps:

• Cut the fruit into 8 wedges, then cut out the flesh, leaving about 5mm thickness of peel and pith. Cut each wedge into 3-4 strips.
• Put the peel in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins. Drain, return to the pan and re-cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins.
• Set a sieve over a bowl and drain the peel, reserving the cooking water. Add 100g sugar to each 100ml water you have. Pour into a pan and gently heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the peel and simmer for 30 mins until the peel is translucent and soft. Leave to cool in the syrup, then remove with a slotted spoon and arrange in 1 layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Put in the oven at the lowest setting for 30 mins to dry.
• Sprinkle a layer of sugar over a sheet of baking parchment. Toss the strips of peel in the sugar, a few at a time, then spread out and leave for 1 hr or so to air-dry.
• Pack the peel into an airtight storage jar or rigid container lined with baking parchment. Will keep for 6-8 weeks in a cool, dry place.
• To make into a delicious gift, melt the chocolate in a small bowl. Dip the candied orange peel into the chocolate to half-coat them, shaking off the excess. Put them on baking parchment to set, then pack into small cellophane bags tied with ribbon or pretty kitchen string.

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Using a very sharp potato peeler, peel the rind from 3 navel oranges. Do your best to get only the orange color as the white part is the pith and can be bitter. A little pith is ok as the next few steps will insure that the bitterness is gone.
• If you have an electric tea pot fill it with water and bring it to a boil. This will make the following process go much faster. If you do not have an electric tea pot you can bring a large pot of water to boil and use this water for the following steps. You do not have to do this step, but having boiling water ready for use will make the preparation go much faster.
• Place the orange peels in a very small saucepan and cover them with boiling water. Place the saucepan onto your burner, bring it back to a rolling boil and allow it to boil for 1 minute. Drain your peels into a sieve and repeat this process two more times. This 3 time boiling process is used to insure that no bitterness from any pith will dominate your candied orange peels.
• Place 1 1/2 cups sugar into the small saucepan and add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Bring this to a boil and stir until all of the sugar is dissolved thoroughly.
• Now add your orange peels to the sugar water and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until the orange peels become translucent.
• Carefully remove a few peels at a time from the boiling sugar water and place them into a shallow bowl that is filled with 1 cup of granulated sugar. Move the peels around to cover them as much or as little as you like. When covered to your liking, remove them to a cooling rack and separate them to dry. Repeat this until all of the peels are sugar coated and on the drying rack.
• Dry the candied orange peels for 12 to 24 hours and then store them in a container with the remaining rolling sugar. If you do not wish to store the peels in the sugar, take the exra rolling sugar and combine it with the sugar already in the saucepan. Bring this back to a slow boil, stirring to combine and melt the sugar. Strain the sugar mixture through a fine sieve. This sugar mixture can be used to sweeten tea or coffee but it is sweet, so use sparingly.
• To use in place of citron rub excess sugar off and mince the orange peels very finely. Use teaspoon for teaspoon in recipes that call for candied citron.

RAYS OF SUNSHINE - HOMEMADE CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Scrub the fruit well. Using a sharp knife remove peel and pith from fruits in large pieces, I like to cut them into quarters.
• Place the pieces of peel in a medium sized saucepan. Cover with cold water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Drain.
• Repeat this process twice. The pith should now be translucent. If not, continue with the process once more.
• Drain and slice into 3 mm thick strips, or leave in attractive quarter pieces.
• Place sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan. Cook, stirring over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add peel; simmer approximately 45 - 60 minutes, or until the syrup has nearly disappeared.
• Remove from heat. Place the peel on a wire rack that has been placed over a baking paper lined oven tray. Cover and allow to dry overnight.
• Toss the peel in extra caster sugar to coat it lightly.
• Arrange sugar coated peel in single layer on baking paper until touch dry, 2-3 days.
• Store in airtight containers until ready to use.
• The peel will last several months if kept in dry, dark & cool conditions & and in airtight container.
• Snip into smaller pieces as and when you need it.