Candied Citrus Peel and Orange Lavender Syrup

Candied Orange Peel

Here is a great gift idea for the foodie in your life; candied citrus peel.  This confection is quite simple to make, turning something that often ends up in the compost into a sparkling culinary delight that is wonderful to use baking or to nibble on.

When choosing fruit get fruit with thicker skin that is heavy for its size.  For this recipe I used organic oranges which I washed before processing.  (Any citrus fruit works; lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerines, etc.)

Don't toss that peel, make candy!

Using a citrus peeler score the peel to form eight strips.  I found scoring the peel into eight strips works very well as they peel off the fruit easily without tearing and it was the best size for shaving off the membrane for the same reason.  This process a bit labor intensive but very worth the effort.

Tools that make this easy.
Citrus peeler and a sharp knife

To remove the membrane, lay the strips of peel, membrane side up.  Holding down one end, lay the knife blade down sideways and run it between the membrane and zest or outer layer.  This is why you need the sharp knife.  Take your time or you will tear the strips. 

By the way, I was making this after the huge task of making our Thanksgiving meal and found this portion of the process very quieting and refreshing to my soul...its funny how that can happen.

The white membrane is bitter so I cut it away.

Place the citrus peel in a medium sauce pan with enough water to cover.  Heat to a strong simmer and cook for 10 minutes to blanch the peel.  Drain off the water. 

Some recipes called for repeating the blanching process but these recipes also did not remove the bitter membrane and it seemed to be only to mitigate the bitterness.  Since I had cut away the membrane I chose not too repeat it and it worked fine.

Add to the peelings in the pan, 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.  Simmer for 1 HOUR. You MUST watch the pan and stir it occasionally, scrapping the edges.  You want to avoid the pan simmering dry and the sugar from burning along the edges of the pan.

The peels will become transparent as they cook and after an hour there should still be some liquid in the pan, with sugar crusting along the sides some.  One recipe I read said to only cook until the peel was transparent but I found that if you cook them longer the sugar coats the peel better.

As pretty as glistening stained glass
only edible too!

Drain the syrup off the fruit and line them out on a lightly oiled backing cooling rack and dusted the tops of the citrus peel with Baker's Sugar and let them dry for several hours uncovered.  Instead of straining the liquid off, which was now infused with orange essence, I used small tongs and lifted the peels out, saving the syrup to make Lavender Orange Syrup (recipe below).

Place dried pieces in a bowl of Baker's Sugar
Stir to coat completely

Cover work surface with parchement or wax paper
Place dusted peel on the paper to catch excess sugar

Just too pretty to hide away.

It's best to keep the batches small so you have more control over the final product and also to avoid burning the sugar.  Again, take your time, enjoy the process.  For me this time was a great time to get some small tasks around the kitchen done, like cleaning out a drawer and loading the dishwasher.

As promised here is the Lavender Orange Syrup recipe.  Stir in 1 tablespoon lavender flowers into the remaining liquid and put it back on the heat, stirring often until it began to boil.  Once it boils remove it immediately and set it aside to cool for about 10 minutes and then strain it through a fine wire mesh sieve for later use in tea or on ice cream.

ENJOY!

Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

Apple Breakfast Bake

Apple Breakfast Break hot out of the oven.  Delish!

Sunday mornings are a traditional time for yummy family breakfasts.   Apple Breakfast Bake, a recipe I found in a church cookbook years ago is a wonderful recipe for such a time.  Its simple and lovely enough for serving to guests.

Made from things most of us have on hand

APPLE BREAKFAST BAKE

Preheat oven to 400 F

Ingredients:

4 tbs unsalted butter

Everything is better with butter!

1 large apple sweet-tart, diced or sliced.

1 1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour

5 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more)

Healthy pinch of salt

Cinnamon sugar or maple syrup for topping

My 3 finger pinch of salt is just the right amount

Grease or spray a tall 8x8" or 9"x13"

Add butter and put in heated oven until sizzling but not browned

Add apples and return to oven.

I prefer to use Braeburn or Jonagold apples

In a medium sized bowl mix the remaining ingredients and pour into the pan of cooked apples.

DO NO STIR!

Return to the pan to the oven.

Poured but not stirred and back in the oven.

Bake 30 minutes or until center raises and edges are browned.

Sugar topping to sprinkle on before or after it bakes

We top ours with a cinnamon sugar mixture of 1 part white sugar to 2 parts brown sugar and cinnamon to taste.  This topping can be sprinkled on prior to baking or afterward.  We tend to like to use the topping sparingly and put it on after it comes out of the oven.  Real maple syrup would be wonderful on it too.

Here's a little secret too...the batter is basically the same as for Dutch Babies or German Pancakes; one egg to 1/4 cup milk to 1/4 cup flour making it an easy recipe to reduce or increase per mouths to feed.  Enjoy!

Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

Crock Pot Quince

Love the crock pot!

After sharing the post on Quincelet candy with a friend and getting back a response about it being "labor intensive", it made me think about what I wrote and I decided I should share the simplest way to prepare quince that I know in a separate post...cooking them in a crock pot.

Quartering makes coring easier

Wash off the outer fuzz, peel, core and dice quince.  I found it easiest to quarter the fruit before coring as the fruit is very firm...almost hard.  Use chef's knife on this fruit and cut on a solid surface.

For every 8 cups of quince add 1 cup sugar and the juice of one lemon (1 1/2 tablespoons approx.)
Cook on low for 2-3 hours
Strain the fruit and reserve the juice for use in those pies and tarts or for making jelly.

The fruit really blushes when cooked long enough

The difference in the cooking time will affect the firmness and color of the fruit.
2 hours for use in pies and breads.
3 hours for tarts or other dishes that don't require further cooking.

You can cook it longer if you like, the fruit will take on a pink color and is more easily made into sauce.  If you do make sauce I recommend running the cooked fruit through a food mill or sieve for a nice, smooth, sauce.

So there you have it...the simplest way I know to process quince.  Enjoy!


Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

This Fall Day's Walk

Walking into delight

How can I put into words the beauty of this day?  The trees caught fire?  The leaves shone like sunlight through stained glass?  It sounds so pale in comparison to the experience I had of walking amid the trees today.

Rose and evergreen above my head

Back lit leaves at my feet

Tawny leather leaves of the grand Oaks

To walk beneath them, to peer into their canopies...to peer through their canopies!  To feel small beneath their beauty...it took my breath away.

Amber plays with green

To try and put it the experience into words would be to do it an injustice, at least at this point.  It did inspire verse that I hope will give birth to a poem.  With all of that said, here is a snapshot of the siren song that wooed me into the company of the trees.

The view above is amazing!

Then a curious squirrel in the branches

Bright sentinels between park and field

Geese have arrived to forage

Long shadows stretch across the lawn

Fall rain pools, an invite to waterfowl and wildlife

My breath is taken away

I want to stay here forever

The trees share their color with the sod

I am happy to be deep in them

And sad that it is time to go back home

One last sweetness to remember this day

How wondrous this creation we live in, the delights are countless...if we will just take the time to look.

Quince Candy 102...Success And Quincelets Are Born!

Quincelets are born!

Sometimes digging a little deeper to find answers helps.  After the dismal results from my first attempt at making quince candy I decided to look for recipes for a different type of candy that also uses fruit that I could substitute quince for.  Enter "Aplets and Cotlets".  It is exactly what I was hoping for and I am excited to say that it works beautifully.  So today I got busy reworking the recipe to fit the vision I had for this sweet treat.  I call the new candy "Quincelets", a spin-off of the candy it was inspired by.  So without further ado....here is the recipe.

Quincelets
Pre-cook fruit for candy preparations:
Peal core and dice 12 cups of quince and place in a crock-pot with 5-6 cups water (approximately)
Set on low and cook for 3 hours, more if you want the fruit to turn pink
Drain fruit and reserve juice for later use

Ingredients to make candy:
2 cups cooked quince
1/2 cup and 2 Tbs reserved juice (10 Tbs)
5 Tbs  plus 1 tsp unflavored gelatin (6 envelopes)
2 cups cold water
2 Tbs food grade rose water or ¼ tsp real rose essential oil
(**You may use 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice in place of rose water**)
2 cups coarse chopped pistachios sifted to remove fines and reserve. (There will be about 1/2 cup.)

Topping:
½ cup pistachio fines (reserved from chopping)
6 oz Bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao)
1/2 tsp unsalted butter

Directions:

• Butter a 9”x 13” baking sheet (also known as a quarter sheet pan).
• Place the cooked quince and 10 Tbs. reserved juice into the food processor and process it until it is smooth sauce.  Stop the processor and scrape down the sides.  Afterward if you want you can run the processed fruit through a wire sieve if you want perfectly smooth sauce.
• Place the quince sauce in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat to a simmer.  NOTE: Check the texture of the fruit and if it seems too course, like its not cooked enough, just simmer for about 15 minutes or until the fruit softens, adding an additional 2 Tbs juice (approx) and stirring frequently to avoid scorching the fruit.
• Add sugar to the fruit, stirring until dissolved.  Take the pan off the heat.
• In a small bowl add cold water and gelatin together and stir until completely blended.  Add to the fruit in the pan, stir constantly until completely dissolved.

Rose Water is magic!

• Add rose water (or lemon juice) and stir well.
• Lastly add the chopped nuts, mixing well and pour the mixture into the buttered baking sheet.  Set this aside to cool and set.  It will set in about 2 hours at room temperature and you can leave it to set overnight (recommended time).  If you are in a hurry you can place the pan in the fridge to hasten this process thought the candy benefits from the drying time of being in room temperature.

Mixture is poured and waiting to set

• Once set cut the candy into 1” squares using a sharp buttered knife and place on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
• Top with Chocolate and the reserved nut fines (see below).

Topping instructions:
Melt bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring until completely melted.  Spoon or brush melted chocolate onto candy and let firm up a bit.  Finally dust the tops of each piece with reserved pistachio fines and set aside until chocolate is hardened.

I chose not to roll the firmed up candy in confectioners sugar as the original recipe and others called for because when I tested it, the fruit began to juice and was messy to handle.  Also, I had considered using fresh lemon juice instead of  rose water because of the zest it would add and I have to say, I am very glad I chose the rose water. I tasted the fruit before adding it and my first thought was, "Well that's nothing to write home to Mother about."  Then I added the rosewater and tasted it and WOW!  (I swear I heard angles singing!) It adds such a beautiful layer of fragrance and flavor the only way to describe it is "pure delight".

I also wanted to give credit for the source of the original recipe I used as the template for this new recipe.  I recommend you visit their site as they also give a bit of history on the candy recipe which, by the way, was created here in the Pacific Northwest.  I found it very interesting and inspiring to see how a simple idea can become a classic favorite.  My hat is off to the fellows that were my inspiration. 

Quince 101 candy final results, acceptable

Before I forget, to close the chapter on that first recipe from the Quince 101 post.  To dry out the candy enough to be able to handle it I baked it in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours to further dry it out.  That made it stiff enough to be able to pick up so I coated it with sugar, put the pieces on parchment paper and stacked them in little trays where they await delivery as gifts. 


Another thing I will do differently is to be sure to run the fruit through a food mill or sieve before making the candy for a smoother finish to the product, a point two recipes I worked from left out.  The quince candy will make nice gifts at Christmas and does taste good on crackers with a good cheese so I still recommend making that recipe too.

Now that I have conquered the candy recipe I think I'll take a break from Quince for a while...but maybe I'll have just one more Quincelet before I do.




Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.