Candied Grapefruit Zest Recipes

Steps:

• Quarter grapefruit and remove rinds; use interiors for another purpose. Slice each rind lengthwise into strips, approximately 1/4 inch at the widest point.
• Cover rind with 2 inches of water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. Drain. Repeat 3 more times with fresh water. Drain.
• Place boiled grapefruit rind, 1 3/4 cups sugar, and 1 cup of fresh water into the saucepan. Let simmer slowly, increasing heat as needed, until water is absorbed or evaporated, about 1 hour.
• Place remaining 1 cup sugar in a large bowl and toss peels in it. Cool and allow to dry on wax paper or a wire rack. Dust with more sugar as preferred.

Steps:

• Quarter the grapefruits lengthwise and remove the pulp, reserving it for another use. Scrape as much of the pith from the rind as possible with a spoon, cut the pieces of zest in half crosswise, and cut them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a kettle cover the zest with 4 cups of the water, bring the water to a boil, and simmer the zest for 10 minutes. Drain the zest, refresh it under cold water, and repeat the simmering, draining, and refreshing process 2 more times. Sprinkle each of 2 jelly-roll pans with 1 cup of the sugar. In the kettle combine the remaining 2 cups sugar, the remaining 1 cup water, and the corn syrup and boil the mixture, washing down any sugar crystals clinging to the side with a brush dipped in cold water, for 3 minutes. Stir in the zest and simmer it, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the syrup is thickened. Continue to simmer the syrup, stirring constantly and being careful not to let it burn, until a candy thermometer registers 230°F. Transfer the zest with a fork to the prepared pans, roll it in the sugar to coat it well, separating the strips, and let it cool. Transfer the zest to racks and let it dry for at least 4 hours or overnight. The candied zest keeps, separated by sheets of wax paper in an airtight container lined with wax paper, at room temperature for 2 weeks or chilled for 1 month.

Steps:

• Make the candied zest: Remove the grapefruit zest with a vegetable peeler and slice into thin strands. Place in a saucepan; cover with water and bring to a simmer. Drain the zest and return to the saucepan; cover with water and repeat 2 more times. Set the zest aside. Juice the grapefruit into the saucepan, reserving 1 tablespoon for the frosting. Add the liqueur and granulated sugar; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the zest, reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. Reserve the syrup.
• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and the grated grapefruit zest. Reduce the speed to medium and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until the batter just comes together.
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each two-thirds of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 18 minutes. Poke a few holes in each cupcake with a toothpick. Reheat the grapefruit syrup; brush generously over the cupcakes (reserve the remaining syrup). Remove the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, food coloring, grated grapefruit zest, liqueur and the reserved 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice; beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Dip grapefruit segments in the remaining syrup and set on the cupcakes; top with the candied zest.

Steps:

• Cut the citrus into wedges and remove the flesh. Use a sharp paring knife to remove as much white pith as possible from the peels. Reserve and use the insides of the fruits for juice or another use.
• Place all the peels in a 2-quart saucepan. Cover the peels with water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and drain. Set the peels aside.
• Add the sugar, honey, and 1 1/2 cups (354ml) water to the empty pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook to dissolve all the sugar, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Add the reserved peels to the sugar syrup and reduce the heat to low; gently simmer until the syrup registers 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer or until the peels are bright and translucent looking. Stir the peels frequently. This should take about 1 hour. You do not want to caramelize the sugar at all, so keep the flame low and cook slowly. If the syrup begins to thicken before the peels have cooked through, you may need to add a touch more water to the pan during the cook time to slow down the candying process a bit.
• Cool the peels in the syrup until they reach room temperature. From here you can go in two different directions: you can store the candied peels in an airtight container in the syrup to keep it soft and hydrated. Alternately, you can dredge the peels in granulated sugar and set them on a wire rack overnight to create a dried candied zest confection. The sugared zest can then be stored at room temperature for months and months.