How to Make Candied Lemon Peel

H

ave you ever been to Croatia? If not, it is about time to put it on your ‘must-visit’ list! You probably already know that we have a mild climate, beautiful Adriatic Sea, the rich history, and extraordinary tasteful local grown food. Most tourists visit my country in the summer, when they can enjoy warm weather, swimming in the crystal clear sea, sightseeing, and – as lots of my foreign friends say, the tastiest fish ever!

Anyway, one of the reasons you should stop by are the islands. Croatia has more than a thousand islands! And each one is special in a different way. Not many people live there, and every family usually has a piece of land where they grow their own olives, grapes, or other fruits and vegetables. The islanders are particularly proud of their olive oil, wine, and other products they make, and believe me, their pride stands for a reason! The other day my dear student Ana from the island of Vis brought me a full bag of goodies. Touched and grateful, I opened the magic package, and what a feast was there! Homemade carob liqueur, sour cherry liqueur, limoncello, capers and a large sachet of lemons were tucked into the bag. And oh my God what a pleasing fragrance was coming out of those lemons! They were untreated, freshly picked from the tree just for me, with a thick, wrinkled skin and juicy interior. I instantly knew that I want to make something very special! Some women like perfumes, the other like jewelry, and me – a bag of lemons from your tree will make me the happiest camper on the lot!

How to Make Candied Lemon Peel

You can use this quick technique for candying any citrus peel – oranges, grapefruits or limes.

• The first thing you need to do is to slice the peel in thin stripes, in professional language the phrase is “cut it julienne [ˌdʒuːlɪˈɛn]”. I like to leave some of the white parts on the skin when I make candied lemon peel.
• Fill a saucepan with water and add a teaspoon of salt. Add lemon peel and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for a couple of minutes, strain, and discard the water. This process is called blanching.
• Make syrup out of 500g (2cups) of water and 250g (8.8oz) of sugar. When the syrup boils, add glucose and lemon peel and cook on a low heat until the peel becomes tender.
• Drain the peel until all the excess syrup drips off. At this point, you can leave the peel to dry, or you can roll each strip in granulated sugar, which will make them more appealing and it will also prevent the strips from sticking to one another. Leave them at room temperature for a couple of hours and store them in an airtight container.
• Use to decorate lemon meringue tart, lemon cake, cut them into pieces and add them to your fruitcake, or you can just nibble these sweet yellow treats as they are, like a homemade candy with a wonderful natural lemon fragrance.

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