Grapefruit or Orange Peel, Candied

This is a zero-waste recipe disguised as candy. The peel from grapefruits and oranges (usually bound for the compost bin) gets transformed through repeated blanching and slow sugar-syrup cooking into glossy, chewy strips that taste intensely citrus-bright without any of the raw peel’s bitterness.

Five changes of boiling water is the key step. Each blanch pulls out more of the bitter compounds from the white pith, which is why the peel becomes mild and tender rather than mouth-puckering. Skip this step (or shortcut to two or three blanches) and the finished candy tastes harsh.

Once blanched, the peel simmers in a simple syrup (half a cup of sugar to a quarter cup of water per cup of peel) until it absorbs the sugar and turns translucent. A final roll in granulated sugar gives each piece a crunchy, sparkling shell that keeps them from sticking together in storage.

These are classic holiday gifts, excellent on a cheese board with dark chocolate, or chopped into scones and fruitcake.

Kitchen Tips

• Use thick-skinned citrus. Thin-skinned fruit yields too little peel to be worth the work.
• Don’t skip any of the five blanches. Time saved is bitter candy earned.
• Let the sugared peel dry overnight on a rack before packaging for best texture.
• Store in an airtight container with a small piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Variations

• Dip half of each strip in melted dark chocolate for an elegant confection.
• Use lemon or lime peel with the same technique; scale sugar down slightly since they’re less bitter.
• Flavor the syrup with a cinnamon stick or star anise pod for spiced candied peel.