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 1/4th 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.
