This particular recipe came about from one of the difficulties I faced from my first Sister's Challenge recipe. One of the ingredients on the list was candied orange peels. Needless to say, I don't exactly keep those on hand, so I decided the thing to do was to make them myself!
This actually proved to be fairly easy to do, just a little time consuming. You will need the following...
Ingredients:
- 2 oranges
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup water plus additional as noted
Step 1: Peel the oranges, using either a potato peeler or paring knife (be careful!). Try to get only the orange portion of the peel, avoiding the white pith.
Step 2: In a small sauce pan, cover the peel with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the orange peel is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon or strainer. Drain, and dry on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Step 3: In the same pan, dissolve ¾ cup of sugar in ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, then add the orange peel. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Very carefully remove the peel from the sugar mixture and place on the rack. Use a fork to separate the pieces. Be careful not to burn your fingers. Let cool for 1 to 2 hours.
Step 5: Once cooled, toss in the remaining sugar. Store in a sealed jar in a cabinet. These will keep for several weeks.
These have an interesting but nice flavor and certainly adds a nice orange flavor to the florentines I made.
Other uses for candied orange peel:
- Chop small and sprinkle over vanilla ice cream or yogurt
- Garnish citrus-based cocktails
- Mix finely chopped candied peels into streusel toppings for muffins and cakes