Quick Candied Orange Zest Recipes

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST FOR CRANBERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add zest of 1 orange (peeled into long strips with a vegetable peeler); simmer, swirling occasionally, until zest is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a plate. Dredge zest in sugar, and thinly slice.

SIMPLE CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Cut peel on each orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment (including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Cook in large pot of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again.
• Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain.
• Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel from sugar; transfer to sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days. DO AHEAD: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months.

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove orange zest in strips (leaving white pith behind); slice lengthwise into matchsticks. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil. Add zest; reduce heat to medium. Cook until zest is soft, about 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zest to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper; let cool. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Zest can be stored up to 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature.

CANDIED ORANGE

Steps:

• Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.
• Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.
• Cook's Note: One way to use orange peels is to stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.

ORANGE PEEL BREAD

Steps:

• Place the orange zest into a saucepan and add water to cover; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Strain the zest through a mesh strainer and return to the saucepan along with 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring constantly, until the water has evaporated. Allow to cool until lukewarm.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; set aside. Whisk the egg and 1 cup of sugar in a bowl. Stir in the butter, milk, and cooled orange zest until blended; stir in the flour mixture until just moistened then pour into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

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.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Remove zest from lemons with a vegetable peeler, keeping pieces long. Remove white pith using a paring knife. Cut into a fine julienne using a very sharp knife. Place julienned zest in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes; drain.
• Bring sugar and the cool water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When sugar is completely dissolved, add julienned zest, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight.

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST FOR ORANGE CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest of orange in long strips; thinly slice lengthwise. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water; bring to a boil over high. Add zest, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until zest is softened, about 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zest to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper; let cool. Toss zest with 2 tablespoons sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.