Candied Oranges

It's that time of year again when the wonderfully bitter oranges from Sicily are available. This is not a given in Corona times.

My wife came up with the idea that with a few of the many fruits could do something different, and that is candied oranges. And because you can't deny your wife any wish, I set about candying them.

Easier than expected

I have found candying to be massively easier than I expected. It's also a relaxing activity, especially when you've made jam out of 10 kilos of bitter oranges (see https://www.danieats.com/post/bitter-orange-marmelade).

Oranges, bitter oranges, lemons, grapefruits

In principle, all citrus fruits can be candied. Also, the process of candying is described differently in different recipes, so there are several roads to Rome.

My version of candying is a middle ground, because I told myself I didn't want to spend more than two days on this.

Chocolate or not, that is the question

No, it is not! Chocolate had to be, because if already...

Ingredients

4 unsprayed and unwaxed organic bitter oranges (or oranges, grapefruits, lemons,...)

400 g sugar (100g per fruit)

300 ml water (75 ml per fruit) - for the syrup

1 package vanilla sugar (optional)

150 g dark chocolate

additional water

Preparation

Wash the oranges, dry and cut them into 5 mm thick slices (I cut the oranges in half and made then the slices).

If you just want to use the orange skin, make sure to cut off the white skin of the orange.

Put the orange slices in a pot with water and boil for 5 minutes to dissolve the bitter substances. Drain them.

Dissolve the sugar in the water, bring it to a light boil. Add vanilla sugar (optional) and the orange into the syrup and cook the oranges over medium heat for about 1.5 hours. The peel will become slightly transparent.

Place oranges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in oven at 80 degrees for up to 2 hours to dry. Remove the oranges from the oven and let them cool, covered.

Melt the chocolate in a water bath. Dip the orange slices halfway into the chocolate and place them on baking paper to dry. Place the oranges in the refrigerator until the chocolate is firm.