Candied Citrus Peel

This is the first winter that I have ever "candied" anything. As I have noted elsewhere, I am totally addicted to the candied ginger I've been making and try to ALWAYS have some in the fridge. I really think it is helping Jun and I through the cold season, as we have some a couple of times a day for "dessert". The other day I had a sore throat and took a spoonful of the HOT ginger syrup that was a byproduct. It really really helped!


But...other than ginger, I have been doing some citrus candying too. The first was yuzu. (Please click the link and scroll down to the SECOND picture. It looks much yummier!) A very popular - and pretty expensive (over $2.50 per piece of fruit at my market) fruit. And...it was SOOOO wonderful.


Next, I tried lemons - as they were on SALE - two for a dollar. Those peels were quite hard to prepare, and, though it turned out alright in the end...maybe I won't make this again.


Last week, our friend Kaoru, who plays with Jun on Friday afternoons while I teach a bit, brought dekopon. Click the link for a picture. The peel smelled sweet and orangey, so I took a bite of the raw peel. "THIS," I said, "needs to be candied! It is DELICIOUS." So, I proceeded to do so. And...Let's just say I was shocked to see how expensive these also are in the store, as I so wanted to make MORE AND MORE of it. (three for 6 dollars).

Here's a nice out-of-focus "soft image" of the Candied Dekopon!

Here is my basic method of making

Candied Citrus Peel

1. Peel the fruit


2. Use a spoon or paring knife and scrape/cut away all of the white membrane


3. Cut the peel in thin strips


4. Boil the peel in a bit of water for 5 minutes (to take away some of the natural bitterness)


5. Drain and rinse the peel


6. Return peel to pan, and add the same amounts of sugar and water. 1/2 cup or 1 cup. (The syrup from the yuzu was OK to use, but the Dekopon was too bitter, so don't make too much and waste sugar, I say.)


7. Bring sugar, water, and peel to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, and keeping an eye on it. Don't let it boil hard, but don't let it stop simmering either.


8. Cover a cooling/baking rack with a mesh cloth/net (check your laundry section at the 100 yen store), and fish out the peel pieces and drain/cool on the rack. Let sit for 30 minutes.


9. Roll each piece (using fingers as they are cold) in sugar (I use Japan's wet sugar), and place on a dry rack/net, or a plate.


10. Let air dry for 1-3 days, of course sampling them daily to see if they are the "firmness" you like. Also, turn them over each day if they are on a plate.


11. Store in a covered container in the fridge (don't know if you have to, but...I just do.)

This stuff is way too good! My Japanese FIL, nephew, and husband all loved it. Picky men that they are! And Jun keeps asking for it...but we are clean out!!! Sad smile.

Do you "candy" anything? If so, what? And, what method do you use????

Candied Ginger

I am such a "get your ginger out of a tube" woman when it comes to savory cooking. I can't be bothered to peel and grate the fresh ones. However, when I make my Ginger Cookies, I must use the real stuff. Here in Japan, they seem to sell fresh ginger in packages much bigger than I need. I heard you could freeze it, but, I don't think it would be good in cookies after that. So, it sits in my fridge. Then it gets thrown away.

A few weeks ago I caught a cold, and for some reason the ginger sitting in my fridge came to mind. I searched the web over and thought I found true love. Actually, it was a recipe for candied ginger and ginger syrup. Syrup for pancakes, tea, yogurt...well, you get the picture. It sounded so healthy.

So, when I woke up from sleeping on the sofa - again - to protect the family from cold germs, I headed for the kitchen. Someone said to peel the ginger by scraping it with the side of a spoon. I had never heard of this, but it worked so wonderfully! Then, I was supposed to slice the ginger into 1/8 inch pieces. Right. NOT! I have a slicer that slices 1.5 mm, so used that and was done slicing in a second. I only had 1/2 cup of ginger, so halved the recipe...or so I thought.

Candied Ginger

1/2 cup sliced ginger (1.5 mm)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Put it all in a small saucepan, and simmer for 30 minutes. Fish out the ginger using tongs or chopsticks, or... whatever, and place the slices on a fine mesh rack. My cookie rack was really not fine enough. The ginger kept falling through. But, anyway, let it sit and dry on the rack for 30 minutes. Then roll each piece(s) (they tend to stick together) in white sugar, and put them back on the rack. Then, let them sit overnight to kind of dry and harden. Store in an airtight container. I put mine in the fridge. This ginger is very very hot!!! Not for the kiddos!

Comments that I got from my Japanese friends about this ginger:

• Is ginger in the US hot too? Uhhhh, I don't recall ever buying fresh ginger in the US. I grew up thinking ginger came out of a bottle that you shook and made cookies with.
• The heat of the ginger root depends upon the part of the root you get. Who knew?
• What do you do with it once it is made. Ummmm. I have no idea.

I had no idea, but my dear friend, Abigail, whom I sent a sample to, posted two recipes using it! You GO, Abigail! Ryu and I just use it as dessert. HOT!

Abigail made Ginger-ed Coffee, and used it in a Dressing for a Fruit Salad.

But, the story doesn't end here. I wondered why I only had 1 Tbsp. of syrup, after all the other reader's comments. The next day I was coming out of my cold fog and while I was cleaning the kitchen, I came across the recipe I had used...or not used, as the case turned out. The original recipe called for the following:

1 cup ginger
3 cups water
3 cups sugar

Yep, that would give you some syrup, I think. And, might take some of the hottness away from the ginger? Or not. Anyway, if you want syrup, up the amount of water and sugar, I say!!! LOL!

Actually, I did use that one lonely Tablespoon of syrup to make a wonderful drink. I grated a wedge of fresh apple and added hot water. Hot and YUMMY! My husband, Ryu, said that Japanese make a drink with grated ginger and grated daikon (long white radish). Sounds yukky to me, but...