Candied Citrus Peel - The French Alternative

Candied Citrus Peel - The French Alternative

Jackie's candied citrus peel is a delicious alternative to boring old after dinner mints. It's made by stewing long rounds of orange peel in sugar syrup and (if you want to be really decadent) dipping the ends in chocolate.

Ingredients

• peel of 2 oranges
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• good quality cooking chocolate (optional)

Note: lemon, lime or grapefruit peel can be substituted for the orange peel, or even mandarin peel if you scrape away all the white fibres.

Method

1. Peel the oranges as thinly as possible, so that there's hardly any white remaining.
2. Cut the orange peel into neat strips. Simmer the strips in boiling water for 10 minutes.
3. Carefully pour off the boiling water, and add one cup of fresh water.
4. Add one cup of sugar, and then simmer on a very low heat until the mixture is thick.
5. Lay the strips on a greased tray, separating them as well as you can. Leave for half an hour to dry.
6. Dip the ends in melted chocolate if you wish.

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