Candied orange peel*

By RJamoralin

This is an ingredient you'll find in several holiday recipes, including panettone, or marzipan stollen. (Keep clicking, you'll find 'em). But candied fruit is also a gorgeously sweet nibble to give -- or keep -- just as it is.

Ingredients

• 2 California navel oranges
• 4 cups sugar

Details

Adapted from latimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring three 3-quart pots of water to a boil. Use a small knife to score the oranges into quarters (cut through the peel and pith but not through the fruit). Remove the peel; set aside the fruit for another use.

2. Add the peel to the first pot of water and simmer 2 minutes and then drain. Repeat two more times in a new pot of boiling water.

3. Drain the blanched peel on paper towels and pat dry. When cool enough to handle, cut the ends off each piece of peel so that you have straight edges, then cut it crosswise into quarter-inch strips.

4. In a large pot, combine 4 cups sugar and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, until clear. Add the cut-up peel to the simple syrup and simmer gently 2 hours until the fruit looks translucent. As the peel is simmering, skim off any foam from the syrup.

5. Lightly oil a cooling rack and place waxed paper underneath. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peel from the syrup and place the strips in a single layer on the rack. Let the candied fruit peel dry overnight.

Each one-fourth cup: 266 calories; 0 protein; 69 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 0 sodium.