Things You'll Need:
- 2 c filtered water
- 2 c white sugar, plus ½ c for rolling the candied peel in.
- 1 medium-sized blood orange
- Medium sauce pan
- Paper towels
- Shallow pan or bowl for sugar
- kitchen tongs or a regular fork
- Mesh strainer or wooden spoon
- Above ingredients
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Step 1
When choosing a blood orange, look for one that has a lovely, mottled pink and reddish-orange skin. Since this recipe uses the skin of the orange, finding a specimen with perfect skin is imperative.
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Step 2
Wash and dry the orange well.
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Step 3
Using a dedicated orange zester with both small and large zest capabilities, zest the orange using the large line part of the tool. On tools with both small and large zest capabilities, the metal end of the tool will have a line of small holes and one large hole. This large hole is how you get a large string of orange zest suitable for making candied orange peel.
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Step 4
Using a zesting tool is a bit tricky at first. Hold the tool with the metal-end pointing up with your thumb also pointing up. The hand-hold is not unlike the start of a childhood game, thumb-war. Place the end of the tool with the large hole flush against the skin. Apply a good amount of pressure on the tool with your thumb and start pulling back towards you. You want to see the skin go through the holes. The tool is designed so that you only zest the skin, and not the bitter white pith.
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Step 5
For this recipe, zest strings of orange peel approximately 1 ½-inch long. Zest as much of the skin of the blood orange as possible so you can make a large batch of candied orange peel.
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Step 6
Pour ½ c sugar into a flat bowl or pan, making sure the sugar is at least ¼-inch deep in the pan. You will roll the candied peel in the sugar while the peel is still damp with sugar solution.
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Step 7
Place several sheets of paper towel onto a plate next to your stove.
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Step 8
In a medium-sized sauce pan, bring the water to a light boil.
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Step 9
Add the sugar to the pan and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. This is a simple sugar solution.
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Step 10
Once the sugar has dissolved, stir in the orange peel, bring the mixture back to a light boil and cook the peel for approximately five minutes or until the peel begins to tinge the sugar solution a pinkish color and you can smell the orange.
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Step 11
Once the peel has completely cooked, it will look slightly translucent. Take the orange peel out of the sauce pan by using a small mesh strainer or a large spoon, taking care to not take much of the sugar solution.
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Step 12
Transfer the candied peels onto the paper towels and let the towel soak any excess sugar solution away from the peel.
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Step 13
Once the peels have sat on the paper for approximately 10 seconds, using one hand only, take small groups of four or five pieces of peel and drop them into the plate of sugar. Using the other hand that didn’t touch the candied peel, sweep the sugar over the peel until the peel is covered in sugar granules.
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Step 14
With the other hand, take the sugar-covered peel out of the pan of sugar and set them aside to dry.
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Step 15
Keep coating small batches of candied peel using the previous two steps, making sure to keep one hand for touching the sticky peel and one hand for sweeping the sugar and taking out the completed peel. This helps to keep the sugar in the pan from not sticking to your hands as much.
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Step 16
Dry the candied peel for a few hours at room temperature.
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Step 17
Once they are dried, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight storage container or resealable bag for up to three months.
Comments
smidgen said
on 6/1/2008 I know now what I am making for Christmas gifts this year! What a great article!! 5 Stars!