Lime Granita And Candied Lime Zest Recipes

CANDIED LIME SLICES

Steps:

• Slice limes into thin rounds, blanch in a pot of boiling water for 2 min & drain.
• In the same pot, combine water & 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer & add lime slices. Simmer for 10-15 min, till white pith of limes looks translucent (May take longer if pith is esp thick or dense).
• Drain & spread out on a cooling rack to dry for at least 1 hour.
• Put 2 tbsp sugar in shallow bowl or saucer. When limes are dry, coat both sides of the lime slices by pressing them into the sugar (May need more sugar for good coverage).
• Store in an airtight container & layer between parchment paper or plastic wrap till ready to use. I freeze these when I make a batch & then just take out what I need to use.

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Heat the 1 cup of sugar and water to a boil. Add peels and simmer until they are transparent, about 12 minutes. Syrup should be thick. Remove from syrup and toss in sugar, let dry, away from humidity. Store in an airtight tin.
• TIP:
• RED ORANGES
• Use blood oranges in your favorite recipes as you would regular oranges. Taste for sweetness, you may have to add a bit more sugar in some recipes

GINGER-LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• Special equipment: a meat tenderizer
• Combine 5 cups water and the turbinado sugar and ginger in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Let cool to room temperature.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan and place in the freezer. Freeze until completely frozen, about 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Take the pan out of the freezer when it becomes a giant ice cube. Smash the frozen block with a meat tenderizer and scoop crushed granita into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with lime zest and serve immediately. Freeze any remaining granita until ready to serve.

LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar with 3 cups water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Chill for 1 hour.
• Stir in lime juice and zest.
• Pour mixture into a shallow metal cake pan and freeze, crushing and stirring the lumps with a fork every 30 minutes for 2 to 3 hours, or until it has a slushy, granular texture.
• Serve immediately.

WATERMELON AND LIME GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until sugar has dissolved.
• Bring the mixture to the boil.
• Cook without stirring for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is syrupy.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and rind (zest) and allow to cool.
• Puree the watermelon in a blender or processor until smooth.
• You may need to do it in batches.
• Transfer the watermelon puree to a bowl and stir in the lime syrup.
• Pour into a shallow metal pan (such as a cake tin).
• Freeze for 3-4 hours, separating and stirring with a fork every half an hour, until the mixture is like shaved ice consistancy.
• For a nice presentation serve in martini glasses and garnish with lime slices.

CANDIED LIME PEEL

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, carefully remove any thick white pith from lime peel. Cut peel into thin 2-inch-long strips.
• Bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add lime peel to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lime peel to ice-water bath to cool. Repeat process.
• Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Drain lime peel and add to saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lime peel to a wire rack set over parchment paper to drain. Toss with superfine sugar to coat. Store candied lime peel in an airtight container up to 3 days.

ZESTY LEMON GRANITA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and thyme. Transfer to an 8-in. square dish; cool to room temperature., Remove thyme sprigs. Freeze for 1 hour; stir with a fork. Freeze 2-3 hours longer or until completely frozen, stirring every 30 minutes., Stir granita with a fork just before serving; spoon into dessert dishes. Garnish with lemon zest.

CANDIED CITRUS 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.