Rose Candied Grapefruit Peels

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 2 grapefruits or 4 oranges or 4 large
• Eureka lemons
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• Water as needed
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup superfine sugar for coating

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

Score grapefruits into quarters and pull off peels. Put peels in saucepan, cover with cold water and place heavy plate on top to keep peels submerged. Bring water to boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer 30 minutes. Drain.

When cool enough to handle easily, scrape white pith from peels with spoon, then cut peels into strips with scissors. Make strips as wide or narrow as you like.

Combine granulated sugar, 1 1/2 cups water and syrup in 2-quart saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. When syrup is clear, add peels and reduce heat to low. Simmer until peels have turned translucent and syrup is nearly boiled away, about 1 hour.

Place superfine sugar on plate, add few pieces of peel at a time and lightly toss to coat with sugar. Transfer to rack to dry 1 hour, then pack in plastic container between layers of superfine sugar and store in refrigerator.

This recipe yields about 60 (1/4- by 3-inch) strips.

Each of 4 strips: 153 calories; 7 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.07 gram fiber.

VARIATIONS:

Chocolate-Dipped Citrus Peels: Melt 4 ounces semisweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter in double boiler set over, but not touching, boiling water. Dip ends of candied peels in chocolate, coating just 1 side, then set them on waxed paper or parchment, uncoated side face-down, in a cool place, to harden.

USE CANDIED FRUIT PEEL IN:

Prunes Stuffed with Walnuts, Chocolate and Tangerine Zest: If you completely conceal the filling, your guests will be astonished when they bite into these prunes. Orange zest, slivers of raw kumquats or candied kumquats or a bit of candied grapefruit peel can be used in place of the tangerine zest. You don't have to coat the prunes with the sugar, but it is pretty and it does suggest a confection as opposed to a simple piece of dried fruit. Incidentally, dates are also good with chocolate, and you could apply the same technique to moist Medjool. Choose soft prunes (hard fruits can be made soft by steaming them over boiling water for a few minutes.) Gently remove pits, if there are any. Stuff prunes with small chunks of bittersweet chocolate, fresh walnuts (cracked and quartered) or fine strands of orange or tangerine zest. Close prunes over filling, then roll in superfine sugar.