Citrus season is a reason unto itself for celebration. What could be greater than a flood of wonderful sweet and tart produce to the market? Lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits: they are all wonderful and I love them. I love eating them, cooking with them, baking with them, looking at them. I hate to waste any part of these beautiful fruits, so I recently took my citrus game to the next level and candied some peel.
Candied peel is actually incredibly easy. Plus it lets you get as much out of your citrus as possible. They are perfect for when you just need a bite or two of something sweet. I used to love candied orange peel dipped in chocolate, and although chocolate can be a great addition, I chose to leave these as they were.
When you candy them, you end up with a simple syrup that will retain some of the flavor of the peels. Don't throw it away! You can use it in other things, such as this gorgeous sorbet I threw together the other night.
When you candy them, you end up with a simple syrup that will retain some of the flavor of the peels. Don't throw it away! You can use it in other things, such as this gorgeous sorbet I threw together the other night.
Candied Peel
One or two pieces of citrus (I used blood orange and grapefruit)
Granulated sugar
Water
Using a sharp paring knife, cut the peel off of the citrus. Try not to get too much of the pith with each piece. You shouldn't see the fruit under the slice. If you do get a piece that has a lot of white with it, try and trim as much off as you can, but be careful, it is a lot harder to remove the pith once it is sliced. Your candies and syrup will be more bitter if there is a lot of pith retained.
Once you have your slices put them in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Place on the stove on high and heat until boiling. Immediately remove from heat and strain. Return to pan and cover again with cold water. Return to stove, heat until boiling, then immediately strain. Combine equal parts water and granulated sugar in saucepan. How much you need will depend on how many peels you have, but a good starting point is 1-1.5 cups of each. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. If it starts spitting syrup up the sides of the pan, wet a pastry brush with water and gently brush the sides, making sure you're not dipping it into the syrup. Add the peels and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the peels are soft and translucent, which can take up to an hour or two. Remove from heat, strain, and let dry on a cooling rack. This helps the extra syrup drip off. Once (mostly) dry, put into a bowl with half a cup granulated sugar and toss. Return peels to rack and continue drying until stiff. Store in airtight container.
If retaining the syrup, let it cool in an open container in the fridge, then once it is fully chilled, seal and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Granulated sugar
Water
Using a sharp paring knife, cut the peel off of the citrus. Try not to get too much of the pith with each piece. You shouldn't see the fruit under the slice. If you do get a piece that has a lot of white with it, try and trim as much off as you can, but be careful, it is a lot harder to remove the pith once it is sliced. Your candies and syrup will be more bitter if there is a lot of pith retained.
Once you have your slices put them in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Place on the stove on high and heat until boiling. Immediately remove from heat and strain. Return to pan and cover again with cold water. Return to stove, heat until boiling, then immediately strain. Combine equal parts water and granulated sugar in saucepan. How much you need will depend on how many peels you have, but a good starting point is 1-1.5 cups of each. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. If it starts spitting syrup up the sides of the pan, wet a pastry brush with water and gently brush the sides, making sure you're not dipping it into the syrup. Add the peels and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the peels are soft and translucent, which can take up to an hour or two. Remove from heat, strain, and let dry on a cooling rack. This helps the extra syrup drip off. Once (mostly) dry, put into a bowl with half a cup granulated sugar and toss. Return peels to rack and continue drying until stiff. Store in airtight container.
If retaining the syrup, let it cool in an open container in the fridge, then once it is fully chilled, seal and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Grapefruit Sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 cup reserved citrus simple syrup
1 cup cava
Combine all three ingredients in a bowl. If ingredients are room temperature or above, let the mixture chill in the fridge for an hour or two before moving into the ice cream maker. If ingredients start cold, you can mix and put directly into ice cream maker of your choice. I use a Kitchenaid attachment bowl, which must be frozen ahead of time. I connect the frozen bowl to my mixer, pour in my chilled mixture, and let it do its thing. It took about 20-30 minutes for my sorbet to freeze in the bowl. Then I removed it, put it into a freezer-safe container, and let it rest for a few more hours before scooping and serving.
This sorbet is incredibly refreshing, light, and delicious. Perfect after a rich and heavy meal, like creamy pasta or butter-basted steak. Top with candied peel for an impressive but simple dish that truly celebrates the season.
1 cup reserved citrus simple syrup
1 cup cava
Combine all three ingredients in a bowl. If ingredients are room temperature or above, let the mixture chill in the fridge for an hour or two before moving into the ice cream maker. If ingredients start cold, you can mix and put directly into ice cream maker of your choice. I use a Kitchenaid attachment bowl, which must be frozen ahead of time. I connect the frozen bowl to my mixer, pour in my chilled mixture, and let it do its thing. It took about 20-30 minutes for my sorbet to freeze in the bowl. Then I removed it, put it into a freezer-safe container, and let it rest for a few more hours before scooping and serving.
This sorbet is incredibly refreshing, light, and delicious. Perfect after a rich and heavy meal, like creamy pasta or butter-basted steak. Top with candied peel for an impressive but simple dish that truly celebrates the season.
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