Candied Orange Peel

Candied Orange Peel rolled in sugar and drying before use. Image by Gwynne Middleton.

Each year, about a week before Christmas, I make a run to the grocery store for a few organic oranges to make an annual batch of candied orange peel. While the candied version is edible, it's still tart enough that I prefer either dipping the slices into bittersweet chocolate as a treat or finely chopping to use in the Chocolate-Dipped Florentines, a Middleton and Turner family tradition.

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Candied Orange Peel

Makes 12 ounces

Ingredients

• 2 thick-skinned Valencia or navel oranges

• 1 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling

• 1 1/2 cups water
  

Directions

1. Cut tops and bottoms off of the oranges. Score the oranges into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the oranges in large pieces, and save the orange flesh for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide.

2. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 2 more times to mellow the bitterness. Remove the orange peels from the pan.

3. Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water in the same pan. 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.)

4. 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.)

5. Drain the peels. If you'd like, you can save the syrup for iced tea.

6. Roll the peels in sugar, and dry on a rack overnight before use.

7. After drying, seal in a storage bag. Candied Orange Peel can be frozen for about 2 months.