I recently bought a bag of Fairchild tangerines, not realizing that the skins were really tight and not easily peeled. They were also loaded with seeds. They lingered in my fridge for several days until I decided to somehow salvage them. Not only did I turn out these little gems, I got a good two cups of tangerine juice. Yummy!
I happen to love the bitter-sweet combination of candied citrus peels...my last batch was grapefruit. It's easy but a little time consuming because you have to blanch them several times to get out most of the bitterness in the peel. Here's how it's done:
Candied Citrus Peels
About 15 small or 6 large fruit
2 cup sugar
2 cup water
Wash and peel your citrus with a vegetable peeler, being careful not to get too much of the white pith. Try to make long strips so that when you cut them lengthwise, you get a nice ribbon effect. Put the strips in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil. Dump the water, and do it again 3 times.
Now you are ready for the sugar. Put the peels, 2 c. sugar and 2 c. water in the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until they are transluscent and sweet. Remove from heat and let cool before handling. Fish them out of the syrup and into a bowl of sugar. Make sure they are all coated with sugar, and then lay them out on wax paper to dry. My bag of tangerines made about 2 cups of candied peels. Chop and sprinkle on dessert or just eat them plain with a nice cup of tea. I also thought of coating in chocolate, but didn't do it this time.
On another note, we made a family of radishes yesterday and the kids had a great time pretending with them....just goes to show, you don't always need plastic toys.
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6 comments:
Ok, it's true, I'm a stalker. I know I comment about two minutes after you post. Seriously though, you should link to your blog on facebook every time you post!
I can't wait to make this for the holiday. I want to make mine dipped partially in chocolate and give them as gifts. Thanks for the recipe.
Absolutely brilliant recipe! I don't typically like candied fruits, but I figured "what the hell" and made these, and they turned out just fantastic.
Thank you!
... oh and I used the juice to make a syrup / reduction, and incorporated that into a chocolate souffle.
Super intense but very good!
Hi,
I was wondering why you have to cook the tangerine peels a couple of times in cold water? Is this to get the pesticide out?
I've heard that tangerine peels may have anti-cancer effects. Will boiling them so much reduce that property?
Thanks!!
Hi Anon - I think that the first couple boils are to reduce the bitterness of the peels, rather than to get rid of pesticides. About the anti-cancer effects of the peels, I cannot say for sure, but I imagine boiling for that long would reduce some of the nutrients. Good questions - wish I was a biochemist!
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