Candied citrus 101

Can I tease you just a little bit? check this out

Yum huh?

Well how to get from raw orange to candied to dipped in chocolate is actually quite easy...

Step 1. Cut the oranges in slices about half inch thick (pretty obvious right?)

Step 2. Put the oranges in a pot and cover them with water. Cover the pot and turn the heat on. Bring the oranges to a boil and turn the heat off. Dump the water and change for new water, repeat the process 4 times total.

Do not put the oranges in boiling water, always start with cold water, bring to a boil then turn the heat off. Yes? cool!

Step 3. Make a syrup. Now there's a lot of proportions out there. The idea though is that you get to the saturation point of sugar in water, that is, when water cannot disolve any more sugar. About 2 cups of sugar for every cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the oranges. Simmer for about 45 minutes, until the oranges become translucent. There's no overcooking here so don't freak out. Just make sure the heat is in low, you don't want the sugar to turn into caramel or burn.

Now your oranges are candied, you just need to let them dry out. You can first place them on a plate so they let go of the extra syrup. After a couple of hours, when they are not extra sticky, coat them with a bit of sugar, the same way you would bread meat. Now you can place them on a rack and let them dry overnight.

If you're wondering what do you do with the syrup now... well, you can reuse it for several batches... but even better! Think about it, what's the syrup? water, sugar + delicious orange flavor! My recommendation, use it to glaze pound cakes or even better, make wholes in the pound cake and pour the syrup over so that it moistens the entire cake.

Step 4. Melt a cup of chocolate chips, chocolate chunks or bark over a double boiler or in the microwave. Dip your oranges and... voila!