Quick Candied Orange Zest Recipes

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove orange zest in strips (leaving white pith behind); slice lengthwise into matchsticks. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil. Add zest; reduce heat to medium. Cook until zest is soft, about 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zest to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper; let cool. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Zest can be stored up to 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature.

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 ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Remove zest from oranges in long 1/2-inch-wide strips with a vegetable peeler and remove any white pith from zest. Julienne zest diagonally and transfer to a small saucepan. Cover zest with cold water and bring to a boil, then drain and repeat. Drain again and pat dry.
• Bring 2 cups water with sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add zest and simmer, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 25 minutes.
• Cool zest in syrup, then drain, discarding syrup. Set on a rack over a baking sheet to catch drips and arrange zest on rack, separating strips with a fork. Dry zest 1 hour.

CANDIED ORANGE AND LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Remove zest from oranges and lemons with a vegetable peeler in long 1/2-inch-wide pieces and cut pieces lengthwise into julienne strips, reserving orange and lemon zests separately.
• In a small saucepan cover orange zest with water and bring to a boil. Simmer zest 5 minutes and drain in a sieve, discarding liquid. Repeat procedure with orange zest 2 more times. In pan bring orange zest, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a boil over moderate heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to a thick syrup. Cool orange zest in syrup. Make candied lemon zest in same manner. Zests may be made 1 week ahead and chilled in an airtight container.

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.