Candied Orange Peels

Hello, December.

‘Tis the season to be merry, to sing carols and eat copious amounts of candy. It’s the season when friends from all over world come home and the season when a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate can become your best friend. If I could, I would hug December. Its my favorite time of the year.

Christmas time calls for candy and this time I made some candied orange peels. I can imagine filling stockings with it, it is so Christmassy.

1.       First, cut 5 oranges into 4 segments each and carefully turn the pulp out.

2.       Next, cut each segment into 4 -5 strips depending on how large the segments are. Don’t worry about the pith – there will be no bitterness left after blanching the peel.

1.       Then, drop the peel into a pot of boiling water and blanch it for 2 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the peel with cold water. Repeat this process twice more.

2.       Boil 4 cups of water along with 2 cups of sugar and 1/4^th cup lemon juice.

3.       Return the peel to the pot and simmer. Stir every now and then so that the peel doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook the peel for 1 ½ hours until soft and translucent.

4.       Once cooked, lay out the strips of peel on a cooling rack and leave them overnight. It will be very sticky.

1.       The next day, toss the peels in some castor sugar until well coated.

Tip: instead of coating the peels in castor sugar, you can melt some chocolate and coat the cooked peels in it to make orangettes.

Recipe from Baking: From my home to yours.