We are taking a little break this week to celebrate the holiday with our family. We hope you are enjoying yours, as well. We didn’t want to leave you with no treat to get you through, so we are offering up this holiday special… the chocolate-dipped citrus peel.
As an added bonus we are introducing, for the very first time, a video. We have some growing to do, but we believe this is a step in the right direction. We hope you like it. Please feel free to leave your comments here or on YouTube.
savour… the moving picture
CHOCOLATE DIPPED CANDIED CITRUS PEEL
The video:
Before you start:
You could also add lime and/or grapefruit to the mix. Be sure to just get the peel of the grapefruit. They generally have lots of pith.
Reserve the simple syrup that you make from cooking the peels. It can be used for lots of things from sweetening tea to using it as a base for ice cream topping.
If you have more melted chocolate than you need, spread it out thinly on a piece of parchment or Silpat and allow it to set. Then simply remove it and break it into pieces. Store it in an airtight container for use on another day.
The ingredients:
- 2 oranges
- 1 lemon
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- granulated sugar for coating
- 8 oz of bittersweet chocolate
The method:
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel large strips of lemon peel from top to bottom of lemons.
- Cut the peels into smaller strips around 1/4 inch wide.
- Bring water to a boil in a small pan, and add lemon peels. Boil for 2 minutes. Strain, discard water, and refill pan. Again bring to a boil and drop in lemon peels. Boil again for 2 minutes. Repeat process one more time.
- Put 2 cups of water in a small pot with 2 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil, add peels, and simmer until transparent (45-60 min).
- Drain, and allow to dry at least 2 hours.
- Roll in granulated sugar.
- Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Put the bowl in a shallow pan with about 11/2 inches of water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat to melt the chocolate.
- Dip the dried candied peels in the chocolate and place it on a sheet of parchment to set completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
