[Magdalen] Another "worthless" food.

[Sibyl Smirl]

On 10/2/16 6:05 PM, Lynn Ronkainen wrote:
> Sibyl will you share your candied citrus peel recipe?

Hard to do, because I've played it by ear for around forty years now. 
This is the recipe that I started with about that long ago, from "Amy 
Vanderbilt's Complete Cookbook".  After I've typed it as given, I'll 
describe something that's more like what I usually actually do, complete 
with precise terms like "the little red teacup that I use as a sugar 
scoop, heaping full" and "about long enough, then check on one piece".


Candied Grapefruit, Lemon, and Orange Peel

2 grapefruit, or         1/2 cup water
4 oranges, or            2 tablespoons light corn syrup
8 lemons                 Extra granulated sugar
1 cup sugar

Strip peel from washed grapefruit, oranges, or lemons in lengthwise
sections.  Put peel in saucepan with cold water to cover.  Bring to a 
boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.  Drain peel.  Cover with fresh 
cold water, bring to a boil, and boil 40 minutes.  Drain peel.  Remove 
pith from inside peel with spoon.  Cut peel in even strips with kitchen 
scissors.
      Combine sugar, water, and syrup in saucepan.  Boil until thick or 
228º F on candy thermometer.  Add peel.  Cook until it becomes 
transparent.  Drain peel in coarse sieve.  Spread on plate or waxed 
paper to cool.  Roll cooled peel in sugar.  Store in airtight container. 
  Makes about 3/4 pound.
      I make frequent small batches at Christmas time for gifts.

Chocolate Lemon and Orange peel:  Dip candied peel in melted chocolate. 
  Let dry on waxed paper in cool place until chocolate is firm.
********************************************

I take the peel from two or more oranges and cut it into thin strips 
(about half an inch wide), or maybe other sizes and shapes that depend 
on whether I'm going to do something special with it, and cover with 
water in a small saucepan.  Then I dump about a cup of sugar on top, and 
put a fire under it until it's boiling.  The sugar should all dissolve 
to clarity by that time, if it doesn't, add a little more water.  Then I 
cover it tightly and put it on the pilot light of my stove for some 
hours until it's translucent and cooked through.  If your stove doesn't 
have a pilot that you can cook on, you may want to use a slow cooker or 
the lowest heat on an electric stove burner. You need to keep an eye on 
it for evaporating down and burning until you know your heat source. 
Even on my pilot light, it can go too long if I forget about it.  It 
should be not quite at a simmer, no bubbles rising. I cool and test a 
piece with my teeth when it looks right.  When it's right, I drain 
through a strainer, keeping the syrup to sweeten coffee, storing it in a 
syrup pitcher until it's all gone. (Love my coffee flavored that way!) I 
spread the pieces of peel on a plate to dry. The parboiling in the 
Vanderbilt recipe is supposed to remove bitterness, but I don't notice 
any bitterness without parboiling: the sugar wouldn't allow that, and I 
have the feeling that the parboiling and draining is very likely to 
remove nutritious elements like vitamins and flavinoids.




-- 
Sibyl Smirl
I will take no bull from your house!  Psalms 50:9a
mailto:polycarpa3 at ckt.net