Candied Grapefruit Peels Recipes

Steps:

• With a paring knife, make 6 slits from top to bottom of grapefruit, cutting through peel and pith but not into fruit. Remove peel, and reserve fruit for another use. Cut peel lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. If there is very thick pith, remove some with paring knife, leaving 1/4 inch attached to peel.
• Bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil in a large pot, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Wash down sides of pot with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Add grapefruit peel to boiling syrup, and reduce heat. Cover with parchment, and simmer gently until strips are translucent, about 1 1/2 hours. Let peels cool in syrup, about 1 hour. (Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.)
• Place sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer peel to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Wipe off excess syrup with paper towels, then roll in sugar. Arrange in a single layer on a clean wire rack, and let stand until dry, at least 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, cut each grapefruit into quarters. Remove the fruit from the peel, leaving the white membrane or pith attached to the peel. Save the fruit for another use. Slice each quarter peel on a diagonal into strips about 1/2-inch wide. If you cut them evenly, they will look nicer when displayed.
• Place the sliced grapefruit peels in a nonreactive 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and add enough water to cover the peels by about 1-inch. Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and strain. Return only the peels to the saucepan, cover again with fresh water, and repeat the boiling and draining process three more times. It is really important to change the water because it retains the bitterness of the peel.
• After the fourth boil, drain the water as before and return the peels to the saucepan. Add the sugar and enough water to cover the peels by 1-inch. Place over low heat and let simmer for 2 hours. During this time, the sugar will sweeten and preserve the natural flavor of the peels. After 2 hours, they will be soft and translucent and the syrup will be thick. Let the peels cool in the syrup and keep them stored in the syrup, refrigerated, in an airtight container until you are ready to serve. They will keep this way for up to three weeks.
• When ready to use, allow the peels to drain on a wire rack for a few hours to remove the excess syrup. Put the rack over a baking sheet so the syrup does not drip all over the work surface.
• Once fully drained, you have three options for serving: First, you can serve them as they are. Second, you can place the peels in a medium-sized bowl filled with granulated sugar. Roll the peels around in the sugar until they are well coated. Third, you can dip the sugared peels into the bittersweet chocolate. Dip two thirds of each sugared peel into the bittersweet chocolate. Gently wipe the excess chocolate from the end of each peel before placing on parchment paper. The chocolate should set in a few minutes if it is tempered and the kitchen is not too hot.
• Whatever variation you choose, present the peels on a plate or in a small bowl or in petits fours cups.
• Once the peels have been sugared and dipped in chocolate, they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

Steps:

• With sharp knife, score the skin of the fruit (use only one type for a batch) into quarters,then peel it off with your fingers, keeping the pith attached.
• Lay each quarter of skin on a cutting board and cut to make uniform strips from 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide, according to your preference; you should have about 3 cups of strips.
• Cover peels with water in saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute,then drain, cover with water again and repeat two times (total of three times).
• Then, cover again and simmer the peel for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• In the saucepan, make the syrup with sugar, water and corn syrup. Boil for about two minutes, then add the peel.
• Simmer briskly stirring occasionally, until the syrup is considerably reduced, then watch closely.
• The point of decision:.
• If you want a tender candied peel, cook until perhaps 3 tbsp syrup is left, and drain the peels (you can save the syrup).
• Medium-firm, leave only a spoonful of syrup, then drain.
• For candy-like crisp peel, watch closely until the syrup is on the point of hardening and has almost vanished.
• Arrange the peel on a bed of sugar on a jelly roll pan at whatever stage you have stopped cooking. Straiten the strips while hot if you want them symmetrical, or crumble them if you like a kinky tangle.
• Sprinkle more sugar over the strips and toss them occasionally as they cool.
• When cool enough to handle, put the strips onto cake racks and let them dry. The consistency of the finished candy will depend partly on the point at which the cooking stopped, but also on how long the strips are left to dry. They will keep indefinitely if candied 'hard'; not quite as long if left translucent and flexible. The choice is yours.

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, make 6 slits along curve from top to bottom of each citrus fruit, cutting through peel but not into fruit. Using your fingers, gently remove peel. Reserve fruit for another use. Slice each piece of peel lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Using a paring knife, remove excess pith from each strip and discard.
• Place strips in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain. Repeat twice.
• Bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Stop stirring. Wash sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Add strips to boiling syrup, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until strips are translucent, about 1 hour. Remove from heat, and let strips cool in syrup. (Strips in syrup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.)
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet. Wipe off excess syrup with paper towels, then roll strips in sugar. Arrange in a single layer on a wire rack, and let dry for at least 30 minutes.

Steps:

• With peel still on fruit, quarter peel lengthwise then remove, keeping pieces of peel intact.
• Reserve fruit for another use.
• Diagonally cut pieces of peel into 1/3-inch-wide strips.
• Put peel in a 3-quart saucepan filled with cold water and bring slowly to a boil over moderate heat.
• Boil 1 minute and drain.
• Repeat procedure 4 times to remove bitterness.
• Have ready a lightly oiled large rack set in a shallow baking pan.
• Bring regular granulated sugar and water to a boil in a large heavy skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Add peel and boil, stirring, until most of syrup is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Turn out peel onto rack, separating pieces.
• Dry candied peel, uncovered, at room temperature until only slightly sticky, 4 to 8 hours.
• Toss, a few pieces at a time, in superfine sugar, shaking off excess.
• Cooks' notes: If sugar syrup begins to crystallize on peel, turn out of skillet immediately.
• Peel will still be good but will have a different appearance and won’t need a sugar coating.
• Candied peel keeps in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week or chilled 1 month.
• If chilled peel becomes too moist, pat dry and reroll in sugar.

Steps:

• With peel still on fruit, quarter peel lengthwise then remove, keeping pieces of peel intact. Reserve fruit for another use. Diagonally cut pieces of peel into 1/3-inch-wide strips.
• Put peel in a 3-quart saucepan filled with cold water and bring slowly to a boil over moderate heat. Boil 1 minute and drain. Repeat procedure 4 times to remove bitterness.
• Have ready a lightly oiled large rack set in a shallow baking pan.
• Bring regular granulated sugar and water to a boil in a large heavy skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add peel and boil, stirring, until most of syrup is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Turn out peel onto rack, separating pieces. Dry candied peel, uncovered, at room temperature until only slightly sticky, 4 to 8 hours. Toss, a few pieces at a time, in superfine sugar, shaking off excess.

Steps:

• Place peel strips in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes longer. Drain. Repeat this process two more times.
• In a medium saucepan, heat sugar and 1/4 cup water over high heat until boiling. Place peel in sugar mixture, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Remove peel with slotted spoon and dry on wire rack overnight. Store in airtight container.