Page And Moyse

Citrus Fruits

Winter is the season when a variety of citrus fruits are plentiful.These include clementines,grapefruit,mandarians,oranges and tangarines.

My favourite fruit is the blood orange which has a relatively short season from know till the end of March.They are available in some of the supermarkets and greengrocers.They have distinctive orange and reddish pink streaks on the skin and are smaller than a normal orange.When cut in half they have a dark flesh almost blood coloured .

They can be used in puddings,sauces and they work really well in a marmalade or even ice-cream.They are particulary delicious in homemade jellies.

I had a few varieties of oranges and decided to made some candied orange peel . You can use them to decorate desserts,jellies or cakes.

They can be stored in an airtight jar and will keep for a few weeks.

They would also make a wonderfull gift for somebody. 

Recipe:Candied Orange Peel

Ingrediants

4 x large Oranges any variety

A bag of granulated sugar

100g 70% Dark chocolate or white 

1. Cut the fruit into 8 wedges, then cut out the flesh, leaving about 5mm thickness of peel and pith. Cut each wedge into 3-4 strips.

2. Put the peel in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins. Drain, return to the pan and re-cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins.

3. Set a sieve over a bowl and drain the peel, reserving the cooking water. Add 100g sugar to each 100ml water you have. Pour into a pan and gently heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the peel and simmer for 30 mins until the peel is translucent and soft. Leave to cool in the syrup, then remove with a slotted spoon and arrange in 1 layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Put in the oven at the lowest setting for 30 mins to dry.

4. Sprinkle a layer of sugar over a sheet of baking parchment. Toss the strips of peel in the sugar, a few at a time, then spread out and leave for 1 hr or so to air-dry.To make into a delicious gift, melt the chocolate in a small bowl. Dip the candied orange peel into the chocolate to half-coat them, shaking off the excess. Put them on baking parchment to set, then pack into small cellophane bags tied with ribbon or pretty kitchen string