I have been slicing oranges into segments into a pretty bowl, sprinkling them with sugar and the juice of another orange or a clementine and leaving them to marinate for a few hours in the fridge. My eldest then tucks into them for breakfast or after school. I have been throwing the peel into the bin; neither the chickens or the compost likes it. It occurred to me that I should candy it. After all, it is nearly Christmas and there is something very Christmassy about candied peel.
This recipe is very easy to do on the Aga as you can leave the syrup and peel to simmer away in the simmering oven and then dry out the peel in the warming oven or on the top of the warming plate. You don’t need an Aga to give it a go though. A warm airing cupboard or shelf near a fire or radiator will have the same effect.
There is something very satisfying about candying your own peel. It does take a while, and it is a bit of faff, especially when you can buy it. But still, I think it’s worth giving it a go just for the smug glow you get when you look at your jar of candied peel and think to yourself ‘I did that’. Â I am going to dip some of the glistening strands into molten dark chocolate for a treat for Mr OC and me, and maybe the children (if I tell them about it). But that’s another day in the not too distant future. Today I am just going to enjoy looking at the jar and enjoy my smug glow.
I used Debora’s recipe as a guide, I didn’t slice it as beautifully though and used only orange peel rather than a mixture of citrus. Four orange rinds needed about half the sugar and half the water Debora gives in her recipe, so 450g of sugar and 600ml water. Â At the point when the peel was soft in the syrup I let it cool in the pan and then placed the pieces into a tin, lined with baking paper. I didn’t dredge it with extra sugar. Â I put the tin into the warming oven of the Aga and left it there for about four hours, took it out and left it overnight on the warming plate of the Aga. It was beautifully dry in the morning and ready for the jar.
I plan to use the remaining few tablespoons of orange flavoured sugar syrup to glaze an orange flavoured cake.
Thanks must be given to Debora for all the inspiration she has given me over the past couple of years in both her blog and her book.
Making candied peel is a real treat and dipped into chocolate is wonderful. Your son is very fortunate having a Mum making him a bowl of marinated oranges:)
Thank you lovely Maggie, wishing you a very merry Christmas x
I’m going to give this a go. But it may have to be after Christmas now….
Yes, you have a lot on your plate. Sending you the very best wishes for a lovely, relaxing, (cough, cough) Christmas. x
Mmmm. If only I’d see this before I made my mincemeat! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Next year Caroline and it’s good to just eat anyway so give it a go before then. I hope you have a lovely Christmas. x
HI Kath—great minds think alike, they say—this is the first year that I have ever candied citrus peels. It is not hard to do and the results are luscious! As much grapefruits, oranges, and clementines as we eat over the season, it is such a good way to use the whole fruit.
Nancy, my thoughts exactly when I read your last post. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, looking forward to more Nancy adventures and the book next year. x
Candied Peel is one of those things I would never have thought of making – kind of didn’t know you could! But it looks so lovely and Christmassy, and what the heck, I have the Aga back on and all! Have a lovely Christmas!! xCathy
Glad to hear about the Aga, yipppeee. I urge you to give it a go, just for the smug glow. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas. x
Oh I hope you are still enjoying your smug glow Kath – such fun. i remember how good I felt when I made it for the first time. I bought in a load of organic oranges to make some again this year, but time has got away from me – again and I’ve run out of time! Will just have to cast myself back to previous year’s smug glows.
Looking forward to the pics of your chocolate covered peel.
Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.
I dipped them in chocolate yesterday Choc and they are delicious. Smug glow repeated! I hope you and CT have a lovely Christmas, looking forward to all your lovely recipes next year. x
Hi, just having a random surf and came across blog – it’s lovely. I used to make my own candied peel (got lazy though). Try it chopped into scone mix with choc chips really tasty and different!
Thank you for the idea classy bird, that does sound lovely. I am glad you found my site and liked it.