Making Candied Fruit Techniques And Tips
The thought of my mother making fruit cake using candied cherries is one of the greatest memories that I get to recall vividly from time to time. These candied cherries that were cased in light air tight containers come in two colors green & red however they did not have that special & distinct taste. Of course the candied fruits available now given that there are more choices are way better in terms of quality & taste.
Making your own candied fruit to use as a garnish for dishes in cookies as a snack & in cake decorating. Making candied fru it simple process. You infuse fruits & citrus peelings in a sugar syrup. You can candy orange wedges orange peel lemon peel grapefruit peel pineapple & fresh cherries. You can also candy fruits such as carrots for carrot cake decorating.
You will need two sauce pans one for making the syrup & another to blanch the fruit. This is recipe for Candied orange peel.
Simple Syrup
This syrup is used for making candied fruits adding flavor to cold drinks & adding moisture to sponge cake. There are different strengths of simple syrup for different uses. Thin simple syrup made with 1 part sugar to 2 parts water is used to brush on cake layers mostly sponge cake to provide extra moisture & sweetness. Medium simple syrup is made with equal parts of sugar & water. This is excellent for adding sweetness to mixed drinks coffee iced tea & to candy fruit. A syrup made of 2 parts sugar & 1 part water is used as a base for sorbet & making rock candy.
Combine equal parts of sugar & water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil & let the sugar dissolve. You do not need to stir the syrup but if you do it will do no harm. You can flavor the syrup. Take the syrup off the heat & cool slightly. Stir in 1 or 2 tsp. Of vanilla for a basic vanilla syrup. This syrup can be kept in a lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Remove the bottom & top of an orange. Set the flat end of the orange on a cutting board. With a sharp paring knife slice the peel off in strips starting at the top & slicing downward following the curve as much as possible. Don’t worry about cutting off the white pith of the peel. Although it usually bitter blanching it will make it translucent & the syrup will sweeten it.
You can candy the peel as it or cut into strips that are 1/4 inch wide to use in cake decorating & garnishes. You can also dip it in chocolate & use it for a snack. Larger peels like grapefruit should be cut into strips for even cooking.
Place the peel in a pot of cool water. Bring water to a rolling boil remove from heat & transfer the peel into a colander to drain. Repeat the process twice more. For grapefruit or a more tart flavored fruit you will need to blanch them seven or eight times. Cherry & pineapple do not need blanching & can be placed directly into the syrup. Between blanching taste the peel if it tender it has been blanched enough. Place the peel into the pot of syrup & bring to a low simmer. Let simmer for 15 to 30 minutes or until the orange rind becomes translucent & the peel tastes sweet & tender
Remove the pot from heat & let it cool. The orange rind can be stored in it’s own syrup for weeks in the refrigerator. You may choose to drain them & roll them in sugar. Sugared rinds tend to dry out quite fast & should be eaten within a couple of days. You can dry the peel & dip it in tempered chocolate to make it last a bit longer.
You can use the orange flavored syrup in other drinks or dishes. Nothing really goes to waste
Camille Heimbrod
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