Candied Citrus Zest Recipes

CANDIED CITRUS ZEST RECIPE

Steps:

• Set two pots of water (with 1 quart of water in each) to boil over high heat. By the time you're ready to start blanching, the water will be ready.
• Use a peeler and make long broad strokes from pole to pole of the fruit. Avoid digging into the pith, but don't fret if you've taken a bit as you peel.
• Chop the zest into thin strips if desired.
• Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl three quarters of the way with ice cubes and cold water. Set the bowl near the stove, along with a slotted spoon, spider, or small strainer.
• When water comes to a boil, add the zest to Pot #1 and allow it to simmer for 20 seconds. Remove zest from water, either by fishing it out with spider or pouring it through strainer into the sink. Rinse and refill Pot #1 with another quart of water, and return the pot to a boil.
• Plunge the zest into the bath of ice water. It's helpful to keep the strands inside the strainer in the bath to avoid having to pick the zest out of the ice.
• Repeat steps 5 and 6, first using Pot #2, and then using the newly boiled water in Pot #1. When you've finished the third round of blanching, retire Pot #1.
• When you've finished blanching in Pot #2, you can immediately set up for the final step: candying. Using the ratio of 1 cup fresh water to one cup sugar for every four fruits you've zested, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in Pot #2 and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Once all of the sugar has dissolved and syrup is bubbling, reduce heat to a simmer (just a few steady bubbles, as opposed to a rolling boil) and add the blanched zest. Simmer for about twenty minutes, until the zest is completely translucent and curling along edges. The syrup will become thicker and take on some color from peel. Store the zest in the syrup and allow it to cool before using. Refrigerate in a sealed container.

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.

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST FOR CRANBERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add zest of 1 orange (peeled into long strips with a vegetable peeler); simmer, swirling occasionally, until zest is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a plate. Dredge zest in sugar, and thinly slice.

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 ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Heat the 1 cup of sugar and water to a boil. Add peels and simmer until they are transparent, about 12 minutes. Syrup should be thick. Remove from syrup and toss in sugar, let dry, away from humidity. Store in an airtight tin.
• TIP:
• RED ORANGES
• Use blood oranges in your favorite recipes as you would regular oranges. Taste for sweetness, you may have to add a bit more sugar in some recipes

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 LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons, keeping the strips as long as possible. Use a paring knife to remove the bitter white pith from the zest, and discard. Using a sharp chef's knife, finely julienne the strips of zest, and then place them in a small bowl. Cover the zest with boiling water; let stand for 30 minutes, then drain.
• Heat the sugar and cool water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, then add the julienned zest. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight. Remove the zest, and drain on wire rack. Roll the zest in the sugar. Dry on a wire rack. The zest can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.