Candied lemon peel

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 3 day

1. STEP 1

   

   I haven’t thrown away citrus peels for a long time. I freeze it or if there is a lot, I cook it right away. Candied fruits are used in baked goods and as a pleasant energy snack. Whole citrus fruits should be thoroughly washed before use. Simply rinse frozen peels with cold water.

2. STEP 2

   

   From practice, it is more convenient to clean the crusts from membrane residues immediately, before freezing or soaking. I usually clean it with a spoon.

3. STEP 3

   

   I cut the peeled peels into 0.5-0.7 cm strips. Or I cut the hemisphere in half and then into 3-4 triangular segments. If there are few crusts, I freeze them until they accumulate (this way they will take up less space in the freezer and will be ready for further processing).

4. STEP 4

   

   Sometimes there are a lot of crusts at once, then I fill them with cold water and soak them for two days. Periodically, after 5-7 hours, drain the water and replace it with fresh water. Soaking removes the bitterness. You can leave it for a day, there will be a little more bitterness, but there is no point in soaking it for more than 2 days /then they lose their shape and appearance during cooking/.

5. STEP 5

   

   Blanch the soaked peel in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, covering with a lid. Repeat the cycle three times.

6. STEP 6

   

   Each time drain the boiling water, rinse the peel, cooling with running water.

7. STEP 7

   

   Boil the last two times adding 1 tsp. salt per 2 liters of water. It is the salt that will remove the remaining bitterness well.

8. STEP 8

   

   While the peel blanching cycles are going on, prepare the syrup: - Pour 500g of sugar into a saucepan, add 250 ml of water, stir. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves, add heat and bring to a boil.

9. STEP 9

   

   Throw the crusts into boiling syrup and cook over low heat. Adjust so that it gurgles quietly, without splashes or fading. Do not cover with a lid.

10. STEP 10

    

    Cook for about 1 hour until the syrup has completely boiled away. Make sure that the crusts do not burn, but that there is almost no syrup left. Then place the crusts in a colander or sieve and let cool.

11. STEP 11

    

    When there are a lot of crusts, laying them out in even rows is quite troublesome, so I put them directly on a baking sheet (I don’t put paper). I carefully distribute the crusts, trying to evenly fill the space into a thin layer. And just when there are a lot of crusts, I put the baking sheet in the oven for 1 hour with the door ajar. I dry candied fruits in an electric oven, periodically switching the temperature from 50 to 80 degrees. Use your oven as a guide, but don't turn it on over 80.

12. STEP 12

    

    After an hour, I turn the candied fruits over, simply stir them with a Chinese chopstick and dry them in air for a couple of hours. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar, mix and leave under gauze for a day. When ready, store in the refrigerator in a glass container. It turned out to be almost kg of candied fruit.

13. STEP 13

    

    We sell larger-sized candied citrus fruits instead of candies, but I prefer the straw format for baking.