Candied Orange Peel and Segments

Candying can transform things you wouldn’t normally want to eat – in this case sour orange peel – into luxurious delights. Try dipping one end of the finished peel in molten dark chocolate and the other in granulated sugar. One of the ingredients here is glucose syrup. This is frequently used in the confectionary trade as a ‘doctor’ to hinder recrystallisation. Its function here is to give the candied orange peel luster and to prevent its surface from hardening.

Recipe Authors: Nick Sandler & Johnny Acton
Preserved
Photography by Peter Cassidy
Reproduced courtesy of Kyle Cathie (publishing) Ltd.

Publisher's Copyrighted Material

1. 1. Cut the skin into strips and simmer them in water for about 30 minutes until soft. Drain the strips, then place them in a saucepan along with 1kg (2¼ lb) of the sugar. Cover with water so none of the skin is protruding, then simmer for half an hour. Remove the syrup from the heat and leave it to cool with the saucepan lid on.
   
   2. Next day, remove the strips of peel with a slotted spoon, then add a further 200g (7oz) sugar to the syrup and heat it to boiling point, making sure that all the ‘new’ sugar dissolves. Remove the syrup from the heat and replace the peel. Then leave the pan to cool for another 24 hours, again with its lid on.
2. 3. Repeat the process three more times, adding 200g (7oz) of sugar to the syrup on each occasion until you have used it all up.
   
   4. On the fifth day, you add the glucose syrup instead. Bring to the boil as before, then pour over the peel. Leave the peel uncovered for 24 hours, then remove it and lay it on greaseproof paper. Allow to dry for 24 – 48 hours until all moisture has disappeared but the peel is still soft.
   
   Dip in granulated sugar and store between layers of greaseproof paper in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
3. Candied Orange Segments
   
4. You can also candy entire orange segments in this way, with the skin still attached to the flesh. Proceed exactly as above, simmering the segments for a time before combining them with sugar. When ready, they are wonderful dipped in chocolate.
5. *Try to get hold of unwaxed oranges. To skin them, cut into quarters and gently peel away the flesh. Alternatively, peel them whole and use the fruit to make Oranges in Brandy (page 184, Preserved).