I am from a jewish middle eastern family and the way we candy grapefruit peels makes them one of the most labourious recipes i have ever heard of! Next I score the peel orbitally twice with a tupperware tool that is similar to crochet needle. Take the rind out and lay out on a foil-covered tray. Dump peels into a colander, rinse pot, put peels back in pot, cover with cold water and then bring to a boil. I also did 5 cup of sugar to my 2 cups of water. Blanche the peels by putting them in a large, non-reactive pot. They're going to float so you need to push them down in the pot to ensure you have enough water. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Reply, I had made them when first published. Repeat five times in all. Thanks again! 2019 I don’t know if you’re considering these again, but Joy of Cooking has a great recipe for candied citrus peels that works great for grapefruit. The grapefruit i was told to boil twice and scrape the pith after each time. It stills and sharpens the mind.
I have no idea why that might be. I candied whole grapefruit slices without a recipe or any experience because it sounded like fun and they came out… well they were good but I boiled them in sugar syrup for for about 4 hours total. I think when my family did this this past summer, we had to use over a bag of sugar. Grapefruit strips – they look absolutely scrumptious. It was totally disgusting. I let them dry out on racks for another two. I made grapefruit peels with some success this Christmas. The way I learned to do this is to remove the pith, then boil seven times, changing the water each time. Good luck with the awards… I loved this post. I simmered this for about 30 minutes, strained out the grapefruit, and carefully whisked in a tempered egg yolk. well they sure did make pretty pictures! I just candied some peel and used them in shortbread cookies. PS. I used the juice for curd that I made into tartlets and topped with Chantilly Cream and a candied orange peel. It’s been fine since :). For the pecans, you just dip roasted pecans in the simple syrup and toss in the sugar with the citrus peels. Allow the peels to dry for about 1 hour, or until they feel tacky. Also, we use 5 cups sugar to 5 cups water–2 1/2 doesn’t sound like nearly enough for the quantity of grapefruit, which certainly would explain the bitterness. Hi dear. What kind of camera do you use because your pictures are always gorgeous. This looks fantastic. Oh – and I made these for a party — TRY THEM: Chocolate Covered Grapes (recipe from epicurious) Brilliant and easy. If you like candied peel, I personally LOVED candied tangerines and tangellos my mother and I made. A Florida dermatologist said this is a very common reaction particularly for thinner skin that isn’t normally exposed (I got it on the underside of my arm), I’m from Texas and I have to admit I didn’t know that ruby red grapefruits from Texas were the best…or, at least, I didn’t even think about the fact that other people didn’t have them. I’ve seen recipies that suggest blanching from 1 minute to 15 mins x 3+. I hope you try it and post the results of that trial here. It is also important once it’s been boiled in the syrup to let it dry overnight before rolling in the sugar and then let that dry again overnight before packing. I have never found it bitter, Hi,After a failed attempt like yours, I peel mine with a vegetable peeler so I get quite a thin layer of peel and blanch at least 4 times. When I was doing an internship at the restaurant Chez Panisse we boiled the peel in big chunks until knife tender. I love grapefruit “soup” as you call it but I make it by cutting off the peel with a knife then removing each segment of grapefruit, as you would for a salad or something, and squeezing all the remaining juice into the bowl with the grapefruit.
I blanched 3 times then simmered in sugar syrup for about 30-40 minutes then dried. I am sad to hear it’s the Torres recipe that let you down. I carved the white pith away, boiled 3 times, and once nearly finished, with high hopes, I tasted it. http://ladystiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/candied-grapefruit-peel.html, It tasted great, next time I will candy something a bit more versatile like oranges and meyer lemons. So the joke was on me. Then scrape off the pith (should be soft enough to do with a spoon), cut into slices and poach in syrup. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and add the 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 cups water, and corn syrup. Mine weren’t as cringingly bitter as yours seem to be, however. Mine are in the “sitting room temp syrup” stage and I cannot wait ’til they’re done! Milk Street Kitchen Best Cookbook Gifts « Candied Orange Peel — Mother Nature’s Fabulous Sweetmeat, Vietnamese Green Hot Chile Sauce Recipe ». PS–have tried the same method with orange, lemon, tangerine, and lime peels. I stored them in the refrigerator between layers of waxed paper and they kept fine. Repeat this for two more days and then add about 20 grams of corn syrup or glucose syrup to keep the sugar from crystalizing. The crystals were large and chunky, much like I had dipped the peels in Turbinado sugar. it was a kitchen science experiment: if I put this orange peel in to the jar will it candy? I used 4 Florida grapefruits, and a 12 oz bottle of Raw Cane Sugar Syrup mixed with 12 oz water for the final step. :). I’ve been craving these candied grapefruit peels for the longest time and I just found your blog. Thank you! That just seems wrong . you ned to peel very superficial, only the orange part. It’s the same process I use for making grapefruit marmalade. From one grapefruit lover to another: I’d highly recommend giving it another try! I’m just a bit sad for the smitten kitchen because this bitter pith citrus disaster follows so closely on the clementine clafouti affair–which was also about the perils of pith. Sign up for the newsletter to be kept informed. I needed 8 cups to cover my rinds last night and I used 4 cups of sugar. 7.
My Cuban grandmother used to make candied grapefruit peel, except that she would not dry them out. This candied grapefruit peel is delightfully bittersweet and festive-looking. It may have something to do with the acidity. I do want to mention that I’ve candied both lemon and orange peels, and as others have mentioned, its key to remove the pith as much as you can (simply sawing it off the peels once you’ve sliced the peels off of the fruit is easy enough), as the bitterness comes from that part. PREVIEW AND PURCHASE IT! The slices in your photos are at least twice as wide as my gramma’s. Take control of your bitterness whenever you can. I quickly turned it out onto waxed paper and separated the pieces of peel.
Twice when I’ve made candied grapefruit peels, I kept boiling in water until I thought the bitterness was tolerable. There are umpteen varieties of each fruit which will behave differently so, before starting the last stages, taste a little to find out how much ‘personality’ is left! I’m from the Valley, and my grandmother owned a citrus orchard and sold most of her fruit in her own fruit stand. I usually slice my peel off the fruit while it’s still whole, leaving the white part still attached to the fruit. Or, just stick with grapefruit! I haven’t tried it myself, but I know it can be done – I had a really piece of good candied grapefruit on a “proper greyhound” cocktail at the Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara last summer (highly recommend, btw!)
I too have seen a lot of grapefruit marmalade recipes. it can be that you boiled it too many times… i used ones without pesticides and didn’t do all that work, unfortunately don’t have the recipe but when i followed the proportion it worked out fine. This is the correct way to candy grapefruit peels, with no bitterness! I do know this: I cut big, ugly chunks of peel off the grapefruit, made the first boil 20 min long, then scraped off the pith with a spoon and sliced them more delicately. Then, for every cup of water you use to you use .5 cup of sugar. (Seriously, so quick I made them between breakfast and the gym, before even having to leave for work!) i tried it with just orange peels and about 16 hrs and one change of syrup, and it still had some bite but still good. When done, cut each section lengthwise into 1/3 to 1/2-inch-wide strips. I sometimes dip one half of the peels in melted chocolate for extra decadence when I’m feeling indulgent. You name it; names, dates, places, birthdays, and even recipes I’ve written, I’ve forgotten about. Curious if I could re-use the syrup for another batch of candied peel – maybe orange? I cover the peels with cold water and boil. Well for me. I think you need the longer, multiple boils and scrapes before you put them in the sugar syrup and then sugar them. :(. I’ve been there, and saw the whole pumpkins and pineapples they were candying. I will scrape the pith off before I boil again.