Candied Orange Peel

Make these once and you will think twice before throwing an orange peel away again.

Ingredients

4 oranges
2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for coating
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 lemon
Dark chocolate, melted (optional)

Method

Scrub the oranges well — you are eating the skin, so start with clean fruit. Unwaxed or organic oranges are worth buying for this.

Peel the oranges and cut the peel into strips, or whatever shape you like. Trim away most of the white pith, but leave a thin layer — it is what gives the candy its body. Strip it completely and you end up with something papery.

Put the peel in a pot, cover generously with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add the salt and boil for 5 minutes, then drain.

Repeat this twice more with fresh water, without salt in the final two rounds. Three blanchings is what takes the bitterness out. Skip one and the finished candy stays harsh.

Return the drained peel to the pot with the 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the peel turns translucent.

Add the juice of the lemon quarter — the acid keeps the syrup from crystallizing — and continue simmering for about 30 minutes, until the syrup is thick and the peel is glossy.

Lift the peel out with a slotted spoon and spread it on a parchment-lined tray, keeping the pieces separate.

Leave to cool for an hour.

Dry the pieces in a 210°F oven for about 20 minutes. They should feel tacky, not wet.

Finish one of two ways: toss them in granulated sugar while still slightly warm, or dip them in melted dark chocolate and set them back on parchment until the chocolate hardens.

Store in a sealed glass jar. Sugar-coated ones keep at room temperature for a couple of weeks; chocolate-dipped ones are better refrigerated.

Don’t throw out the syrup

What is left in the pot is orange syrup. Use it in cocktails, over pancakes, or brushed onto a cake while it is still warm.