Winter means citrus season here in California. We are so lucky to have access to such an abundance of varieties like Cara Cara, Sumo Mandarins, Ruby Grapefruit, Clementines, Heirloom Oranges and our favorite Blood Oranges. Our weekly CSA box has had a bounty of these beauties lately and it got us inspired for a new flavor. We have been wanting to mix in some ingredients for some time now to add an element of texture and flavor and these candied orange peels are just the ticket! We are still playing around with the future flavor but we are thinking a rift on Mexican Hot Chocolate with deep cocoa, lots of warming cinnamon and the candied orange peels mixed in. For now-they have been a great accompaniment to our afternoon shot of espresso and we wanted to share with you! So here we go!
To start, we peeled about 3 Heirloom Navel oranges and 2 Blood oranges. The easiest way to peel to assure you can cut nice strips is to score the citrus into 4 segments with a pairing knife and then peel back the ski-you will want to make sure the white pith is included.
Next-fill a pot with enough water to just cover the citrus peel strips and boil for about a minute or two to remove some of the bitterness.
Now for the sweet part! You are going to create a simple syrup of sorts which is one part water to two parts sugar. This creates as slightly thicker syrup than a traditional simple syrup which will help with the ultimate tackiness of the citrus peels so that the sugar that you are going to roll them in adheres. I added a little vanilla bean to mine and simmered for 30 minutes, turned off the heat and then allowed to sit for another five minutes.
Next, lay the citrus peels on a wire rack to dry-patience is key here, dry for eight hours minimum but ideally for about twenty-four hours.
After allow to dry, you should have a tacky but not overly squishy citrus strip. Roll in your favorite sugar to coat-we used good old regular white cane sugar but you can use raw sugar, coconut sugar, you name it!
You now have candied, coated citrus peels that you dip in chocolate for an even sweeter treat, eat on their own with your afternoon coffee, add to vanilla ice cream, truly whatever sounds good! Below are some sample bags of the new flavor to share with friends!
Happy sugaring!