Candied Orange Peel & Orange Simple Syrup

Except for the whole ‘eat the orange’ part, this is the same recipe for candying ginger. And like the ginger, the by-product of candying the orange peel is this gorgeous orange simple syrup. When I open my Bed & Breakfast, I am going have all of these syrup on hand all the time. Because the heaven’s in the details… I just made that up.

First note the citrus. All citrus is not the same. Tell that to the guy who picks you up tangelos instead of naval oranges and says they’re the same thing. You want navel oranges. Cut them in discs, then cut each in half through the center. Eat all that delicious orange, collecting the rind and then proceed. (Note I did this recipe with only two small oranges.)

1. Cover orange rind with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
2. Strain orange rind, reserving 1/2 cup of that orangey water. Return the rind and reserved orangey water back into the saucepan, then add 2 cups of granulated sugar.
3. Boil to 225 F, keeping track with a candy thermometer. Rock the saucepan by the handle gentle. Resist stirring once the sugar is dissolved to avoid crystallization.
4. Once it reaches 225 degrees F, remove saucepan from heat and carefully drain orangey syrup into a glass container. Let it cool. (Note: Watch the pan! My pan boiled over when I was distracted and caused a little fire (!) Use a bigger sauce pan to help avoid a boil over.)
5. Spread out orange rind onto a colander in a single layer, cooling for at least 2 hours. (I let it dry out overnight.)
6. Add a Tablespoon of granulated sugar into a Ziploc bag, then add the orange pieces. Add another Tablespoon of sugar, zip the lock and toss the orange rind until all are coated.

Now you’ve eaten the refreshing orange, cooked and candied its rind and made syrup with its essence. You can feel confident that you loved your orange good and proper.

Things I will do with my orange simple syrup:

• Brush it on the top of orange cupcakes.
• Add to tea. Or a cocktail.
• Use it in a marinade.
• Glaze some veggies (beets perhaps?)
• Glaze some scones.
• In general, use it to replace agave or maple syrup if the flavor fits!