Candied Orange Wafers Recipes

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, cut the orange part of the peel from the stem end of the orange down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch-wide strips. Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water.
• Stir the sugar and 1/2 cup of fresh water in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the orange peels and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to a sheet of parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour.
• Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the chocolate in a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Dip 1 1/2-inches of each candied orange peel into the chocolate then place them on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 15 minutes.

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-ORANGE CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL TART

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse wafers in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, and fleur de sel; pulse until evenly moistened. Press evenly into the bottom and up sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Candied orange: With a vegetable peeler, remove orange zest in strips (leaving white pith behind); finely slice. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add zest; reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain, reserving syrup (you should have about 1/2 cup).
• Transfer zest to a large plate and spread in an even layer; let cool completely. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Zest can be stored up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Caramel and ganache: Combine cream and orange zest in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep 1 hour. Strain. Measure 6 tablespoons; refrigerate the rest.
• Bring reserved orange syrup, sugar, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and cream of tartar to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, gently swirling pan occasionally, and washing down sides with a wet pastry brush (to prevent crystals from forming), until mixture turns deep amber, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add reserved 6 tablespoons infused cream (mixture will bubble and steam). Stir in butter until smooth. Pour caramel into cooled crust; let cool 15 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or, covered, up to 2 days.
• Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring 1/3 cup reserved infused cream (saving any remainder for another use) to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate and let stand1 minute, then stir until smooth. Remove tart from refrigerator and spread ganache over caramel to edges with an offset spatula. Return to refrigerator until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
• Remove tart from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 15 to 30 minutes. Chop 2 tablespoons candied zest and sprinkle over chocolate. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and more chopped candied zest; remove from pan, slice, and serve.

CANDIED-ORANGE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Beat together butter, sugar, zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and beat in egg whites. (Mixture will look curdled.) Whisk in flour just until incorporated.
• Drop 4 rounded tablespoons of batter about 3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with nonstick pad. Spread batter evenly into 4‚- to 5-inch circles with back of a spoon dipped in cold water. Bake cookies in middle of oven, turning sheet 180 degrees halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 10 minutes total.
• Cool cookies 30 seconds on baking sheet (to facilitate removal), then carefully remove cookies with a thin metal spatula and immediately drape over a rolling pin to create a curved shape. (If cookies become too brittle to drape over rolling pin, return to oven a few seconds to soften.) When cool, transfer cookies to an airtight container. Make more cookies in same manner, cooling and cleaning nonstick pad and baking sheet between batches.

MINIATURE FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Boil sugar, butter, honey, and cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until creamy and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almonds and orange peel (batter will be thin).
• Drop level 1/2 teaspoons of batter about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. (Batter will thicken as it cools; you may need to reheat for last few batches.) Bake in batches in middle of oven until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cookies will look runny at this point.) Cool cookies on sheets on racks until firm enough to be lifted, about 2 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. (These cookies are very delicate; if they become too brittle to lift easily, return to oven to soften, about 1 minute.)
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, then remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat. Dip about one third of each cookie into chocolate, then transfer to a parchment-lined tray. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.