Candied orange peel

Well, after my nightmare day of flop cooking in January 2012, this was about the only recipe that flew! A great use for the left-over peel when the family are churning through the oranges in the warm weather.

4 oranges
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
sugar (for rolling them in) or chocolate (for dipping)

Harvest the peel from the oranges leaving a clean pith. I usually score each orange in half and then half again, then peel the orange quarter-by-quarter. Then slice into long strips of peel about 1/2 cm wide.

Place peels in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat on high until boiling. Pour off the water. Repeat twice more.

Combine sugar and water in the saucepan and bring to boil over high heat for a couple of minutes. Add peels and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until peels are translucent (30 minutes or longer).

Remove peels from syrup and roll in sugar if desired, and set on rack to dry (4-5 hours minimum or overnight). Work fast when taking peels out of syrup!

Once the peel is dry, you can dip them in melted dark chocolate and place on foil, wax paper, or a baking sheet to dry.

If you want to see some fantastic step-by-step photos of the process, check out Jennifer Yu's food blog "Use Real Butter".