Candied Lemon Peels....One More Time

You're probably wondering, "Doesn't she have enough candied lemon peels already?" The answer is, of course, yes. But what was I supposed to do with all the unblemished lemons I was juicing from my tree? Just throw them in the compost, potential unrealized? That doesn't fit in well with my lack of moderation.

I'm glad I did another batch because I finally got it right. The recipe I gave yesterday was fine but I changed one thing and it made all the difference in the world. Instead of gently simmering the peels each time (don't worry, I'll give you the recipe here again), I cooked them at a little higher heat so the syrup was bubbling just over the tops of the peels. It shouldn't bubble way up in the pot unless you want to caramelize everything, but it should be more than just barely simmering.

This occurred to me last night as I was thinking about making candy and using a candy thermometer to make sure the temperature is just right to form the proper consistency. While I don't own a candy thermometer, something in my distant memory suggested the syrup needed to boil more to do this right.

The candied peels I showed in syrup yesterday were tender, sweet at first taste (because of surface syrup), but not particularly sweet all the way through. The ones I finished this morning are chewier and sweet all the way through. In other words, they truly are candied!


Just look at these beauties.


After draining, I rolled these in sugar and set them on the dehydrator trays to dry. I put a couple of trays in the dehydrator (one without sugar) and am leaving a couple of them out at room temperature. I'll keep checking on them to see which ones come out best by this afternoon when I plan to take some to the CSA.


The syrup ended up as thick and viscous as honey. I think it would work well as a substitute for honey in any recipe where a mild lemon flavor wouldn't detract from the dish.

Here is the new, improved recipe for candying citrus peels.

Thick Candied Citrus Peel
Citrus to be juiced (grapefruit, oranges, or lemons)
Water
Sugar

• Clean citrus well. Cut in half and juice.


• Remove stringy membrane and any remaining pulp from citrus halves and place in a large pot.


• Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.


• Drain and repeat two times.


• Using a spoon, scrape out any soft pith from each half. Cut each half into four strips.


• Make enough simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) to cover citrus peels. Add peels to syrup and bring to a rolling boil.


• Reduce heat so that syrup continues to boil vigorously just barely over the top of the peels but not up higher. Cook for 1 hour.


• Remove from heat, cover, and let sit overnight.


• In the morning, cook for another hour, checking often to make sure the syrup is not caramelizing.


• Drain, saving the syrup. Toss peels with sugar, and place on a rack to dry. Store in the refrigerator and chop to add to quick breads, cakes, or granola.