Candied Orange Peel
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Refined sugar-free candied orange peel…kind of wacky, huh?
This recipe came directly out of my sheer frustration of having a list a mile long of things I’ve never eaten. I spend hours upon hours at school learning how to make food I can’t eat and have never tasted.
The last 8 weeks, one of the classes I took was Laminated Dough, Pate a Choux, & Donuts. A laminated dough is one that is enriched with butter, eggs, and milk. Many laminated doughs use dried and candied fruits, too, especially holiday and celebration breads.
One night in class we were making panettone, which included candied orange peel to flavor it. Chef came over, tasted our orange peel, and commented on the great flavor. I’d never had candied orange peel, nor have I had panettone.
At home I started saving my orange peels, wrapping them up tightly and refrigerating them until I had enough to ‘candy’. It’s not the proper way to candy citrus peel as you get the best results with the freshest ingredients but I didn’t want to peel a bunch of oranges I wasn’t going to eat.
It didn’t take long because oranges are one of our favorite winter fruits, and let me tell you…Chef was right. The flavor is incredible…they’re bitter-sweet, intense, and the closest thing to gum drops I’ve had in seven years.
I’m sure my version isn’t as sweet nor as preserved as one made with refined white sugar. The recipe in my text book uses 1 pound 4 ounces white sugar to 12 ounces of water. Instead, I went with 1 part agave to 4 parts water and decided to refrigerate the peels once they were done drying.
As soon as I figure out how to make panattone I’m going to use my candied orange peel in it. I might chop it up and put it in granola bars with carob chips, too. Who doesn’t love chocolate and orange?
Feel free to increase or decrease the recipe depending on the amount of orange peel you have.
I’m guest posting today at Gluten-Free is Life and sharing one of my favorite desserts. Stop by Kim’s blog and say hello.
Other Gluten-Free Orange Recipes:
Candied Orange Peel
1 pound (16 ounces) orange peel
4 cups water
1 cup (8 ounces) agave nectarCut orange peel into 1/4 inch slices. Cover with water in a 4-quart heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Drain and repeat two more times. This helps remove the bitterness from the peel. Place the orange peel in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Combine the water and agave in the same saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the cold orange peel, bring back up to a boil and reduce to a simmer that barely breaks the surface with bubbles. Allow to simmer uncovered for an hour.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let it sit overnight. In the morning, drain the peel in a colander or a fine mesh strainer shaking as much water off as possible. Set the peel on a wire rack and allow to dry for 24 – 48 hours.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before using.
Much love,
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