Candied Orange Peel

There's candied orange peel and then there's candied orange zest. This is the more substantial candied orange peel. It can be eaten like candy (with or without having been dipped in tempered dark chocolate!) or used in baking or as a garnish. 

Wonderful in fruitcake or plum pudding, it's also a great addition to an orange cake, frosting or filling. It's a perfect garnish for a rice pudding or a chocolate tart, for a cocktail or a hot chocolate. Scrumptious in scones or as a confection on the tea table. 

Next time I make it I might experiment with the finer baker's sugar (called caster sugar in the UK) for the dredging. And whenever I can get my hands on some Meyer lemons, I'll be candying that peel as well. (Mr Delightful thought they were french fries!)

Candied Orange Peel 

(Makes about 7 dozen pieces) 

3 large navel oranges, organic or at least unsprayed and unwaxed, well scrubbed
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided*
3/4 cup water 

* OR 1 cup sugar for the syrup and 1/2 cup baker's sugar for the dredging

1 To carefully remove the peel from the oranges, cut off a bit of the top and bottom of each orange, then make 4 vertical cuts and pull the 4 pieces of peel away from the orange. Cut each vertically into 1/4-inch wide strips. (And, when I'm feeling particularly persnickety, before I cut the strips I make sure that each section of peel is the same length.) You can leave the pith on or cut it away as much as you like with a sharp paring knife. 

If you want diced candied orange peel rather than strips, cut the strips into 1/4-inch dice. But I just make strips that can be diced later as needed. 

2 Put into a 2-quart saucepan and cover with about a quart of cold water. Bring to a boil and gently simmer, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, and drain again. 

3 While the peel drains in the colander, add 1 cup sugar and water to the saucepan; heat, stirring gently, to dissolve the sugar. When sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil and add the well-drained orange peel. Simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes, uncovered, or until the peel becomes translucent. Do not stir; just give it a swirl once in a while, if needed. 

4 Remove from heat, drain (reserve syrup for another use), and spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Allow to cool slightly before dredging in remaining 1/2 cup sugar to just coat. Place back on the parchment and allow to dry at room for 1 to 2 days (I just put it inside the oven or the toaster oven to keep it out of the way and somewhat "covered"). Place in an airtight container.