I know this isn’t what I have posted for quite some time but I made Candied Orange Peels for the first time. They were not labor intensive, just time consuming. They were well worth it! My goal is to have enough candied fruit to eventually make my own Panettone. At the bottom of this page are recipes for other candied goodies!
I decided to make candied orange peels because I bought a five pound bag of oranges and no one was eating them (and eventually I want to have enough candied fruit to make panettone).
So, I pulled out the old trusty Joy of Cooking and got busy!
Candied Citrus Peel
Candied Citrus Peel
- Peel of 3 oranges, 2 grapefruits, or 6 lemons, removed in large strips
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup (I used honey)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Wash the oranges, then peel them (I used the meat of the oranges for marmalade).
Add water to cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with fresh cold water, and simmer until tender.
Drain, refresh under cold water, and remove any remaining pulp or pith by scraping it away with a spoon (now, I tried this with one of our “good” spoons and the edge wasn’t sharp enough. So, I pulled out one of the spoons I set aside for my husband to put in his lunch box).
Cut the peel into 2 X 1/4-inch strips. Combine 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons light corn syrup (honey) and 3/4 cup water. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the fruit peel and cook very gently over low heat until most of the syrup is absorbed (if your stock pot isn’t the best, like mine, place it on top of a cast iron griddle. This works great and have never had any scorching).
After about 12 hours the orange peels absorbed most of the sugar/water mixture. I drained the peels into another pot, thinking I could use the orange syrup for something (not sure what though).
To dry the peels, I propped up an old window screen I use for drying. I lined the screen with wax paper, poured the second 1 cup of sugar on the paper, scattered the drained orange peels on the sugar, and tossed them to ensure even coverage.
I put more wax paper over the top and weighed it down. It took about a week for them to get dry enough (the recipe says to let dry one hour then place in the refrigerator. I didn’t like that, so let them completely dry). I ended up with about a gallon and a half of candied orange peels (1 1/2 gallon sized Ziploc freezer bags). I’m storing them in the freezer (just to be safe). I reserved the orange sugar, thinking I could use it for something! 🙂 You know those orange slices by Brachs? These taste just like those, just a bit more tart. My step-daughter loves them!
Candied Ginger
Candied Ginger
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 water
- 1 piece fresh ginger, sliced or julienne
Peel, cut into coins or make long strips (julienne). Immerse in simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water). Cook 15 minutes or till translucent. Dry on cake rack over paper until almost dry. Roll in sugar and place on parchment paper to dry.
Cactus Candy
Cactus Candy
Yield: 6 servings
From: Arizona Cookbook
- 3 c Granulated sugar
- 1 c Water
- 2 tb Orange juice
- 1 tb Lemon juice
Select prickly pear cactus (or small barrel cactus if you own this type of cactus, since it’s illegal to remove it from the desert). Remove spines and outside layer with large knife. Cut pulp across in slices one-inch thick. Soak overnight in cold water. Remove from water, cut in one-inch cubes and cook in boiling water til tender. Drain. Cook slowly in the following syrup until nearly all the syrup is absorbed. Do not scorch!
SYRUP for 2 QUARTS of CACTUS CUBES
Heat all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Then add cactus. Remove cactus from syrup, drain and roll in granulated or powdered sugar. For colored cactus candy, any vegetable food coloring may be added to the syrup.
Coltsfoot Candy
Coltsfoot Candy
“An enjoyable way to soothe a cough”
Yield: 4 Servings
- 1 liter Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) leaves
- 600 ml Water
- 450 g Sugar
- 450 g Golden syrup
- 50 g Butter
- 2 1/2 g Baking soda
Boil the washed coltsfoot leaves in the water, and drain off the liquid. Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a pan and add the liquid. Bring to the boil, stirring, then continue to boil until a little of the candy turns brittle when dropped into a bowl of cold water. Take off the heat and add the soda Beat the mixture very well until it is almost stiff, then pour into a shallow, oiled baking tray. Allow to set, then break up into pieces and store in a jar.
Avril Rodway’s ‘Food From The Countryside’
Peppermint Candy
Peppermint Candy
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup minced fresh peppermint leaves
- green food coloring (optional)
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until very stiff. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until very thick. Gently fold in the peppermint. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 250F for approx. 35 minutes or until dry. Allow to cool. Keep stored in airtight containers.
Published by brendanolen
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except learning how to grow in rows. - Doug Larsen
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