My brother-in-law Steve has all of these fond memories of Christmas sweets that his grandma used to make, so I always try to get in the holiday spirit and oblige. That means making candied citrus rinds, among other things.




This is one of those recipes that is in some ways really easy, and in some ways kind of a pain, because even though there are only 2 ingredients you have to blanch the oranges 3 times in water to get out some of the bitterness inherent in the pith. This batch was more bitter than usual, so I rolled them in sugar afterwards twice instead of just once, which I often do- and which is why the peels in the photo appear to have a more heavy dusting of sugar crystals. Some purists don't do it that way but for me it's more of a taste thing- I want them to have the right contrast of sweet and bitter so if they're too bitter I roll them in extra sugar. It just depends on the oranges or grapefruits.

One bonus of the cooking process is that at the end you're left with a rich bitter orange syrup. You can save this in a jar and use it in iced tea or in a fancy cocktail. If you shake the syrup with rum or vodka and mint, and top it with sparkling water, for example, it's fantastic. You can also use it in a champagne cocktail in place of the melting sugar cube.

These taste delicious paired with or dipped in chocolate- I prefer dark chocolate for the orange rinds, white chocolate for the grapefruit. I think an elegant simple dessert is a plate of rinds and a plate of dark chocolate truffles. Visually and gustatorially elegant!

I have never made these with lemons or limes, but I think next year I will give it a try and see how they turn out.

Candied Orange Rinds
The method is exactly the same for grapefruits.

Ingredients:

• Oranges- depending on size, I usually make 3 large or 5-6 small ones
  
• Sugar - about 5 cups
  

Method:

• Cut off the top and bottom of the fruit. Score the peel as if to quarter the orange but don't cut through to the fruit. Peel off each quarter carefully so it doesn't break. Cut into 1/4 inch strips.
• Place peels into a pot and fill pot with water. Bring to a boil. Strain peels and dump out water. Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3.
• Rinse the pot thoroughly and put about 4 cups of sugar into the pot with about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add the peels and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for about 1-2 hours, until the peels are translucent. Don't stir the peels because this will cause the sugar to crystallize. If you must, gently swirl the pot.
• When translucent, drain the peels and save the syrup for another use. They will be insanely hot. Put them into a bowl with about a cup of sugar and roll them around in it. Lay them out on a rack to dry for about 4 hours. I favor tongs for this part of the process.
• Put the sugar in an airtight container and return the peels to the sugar to store.