Candied Citrus Peel for Baking

I made a huge mistake last year and didn't refill my supply of glacé fruits.  You know, those little tubs of candied fruits for fruitcake and other holiday goodies.  When it came time to make the mincemeat, I didn't have any glacé peel.

Yes, I could order some from Amazon.  The brand that's usually in the market costs a bit more online, but wasn't outrageous when you consider that it simply isn't available in stores in October.  Some of the reviews mentioned cracked containers, which is understandable when something plastic is shipped in a pouch.  It's only a problem when that something leaks corn syrup.

So I went online to find recipes for a small amount of candied peel.  I only needed half a cup.  After reading a few recipes, I realized the process isn't that different from making marmalade.  You're just only using the peel and letting it dry afterwards.  I came close to draining off the jam from the peels in my last jar of 3-citrus marmalade, then just decided to buy an orange and a lemon and made a fresh batch.

I settled on starting with the recipe from Epicurious, but changed the amount of syrup you cook it in so there's no waste.  Also, scaled it down to one orange and one lemon, to get mixed citrus.

Meanwhile, candied fruits should be in the market any day now.  I'm going to make sure I have enough to get through next October this time and save myself an hour.

1 orange
1 lemon
3/4 C sugar, divided
water

1.  Cut the top and bottom off both fruits and discard.  Set upright on the cutting board and cut of the peel and pith in segments (the melon method for skinning fruit).  We don't need the inside of the fruit for this recipe.  Eat the orange, juice the lemon, whatever.  I put them through the food processor for the ground orange and lemon in the mincemeat recipe.

2.  Cut the peels into thin strips.  If desired, cut those strips into smaller pieces.  I made 1/4" x 1/2" confetti because that was how I wanted to use them.  You can always do long strips and cut smaller pieces from the finished product.

3.  Place the peels in a generous amount of water and bring to a boil.  Cook 15 minutes to soften and remove some of the bitterness.  Drain and rinse well.

4.  Put the pot back on the stove.  Stir together 1/2 C water and 1/2 C of the sugar.  Bring to a boil and dissolve into a simple syrup.  Add the peels and return to a low boil.  Cook about 45 minutes, until peels are completely cooked, look like candy, and the syrup has pretty much disappeared.

5.  Scatter remaining 1/4 C of sugar on a rimmed baking sheet or another shallow pan like a pie pan.  Transfer candied peels to the sugar and toss to coat.  Separate pieces so they don't stick together.  You can either transfer to a wire rack to dry at room temperature for 2 days or place them in a container and refrigerate.  It depends on what moisture content you want and your intended use for the peels.

Makes about 1-1/2 Cups

Difficulty rating  π