Candied Clementine Peel
This candied clementine peel tastes way better than shop-bought candy. Easy to make, it is delicious on its own or as a cake decoration.
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Candied clementine peel. Sounds a little different, right?
Well, yes, it does. However, we candy orange peel. So why not its little baby brother, the clementine?
I have to say that I was blown away by how delicious the candied peel was. It was created more as a decoration for my clementine polenta cake, which was written for my fellow blogger Angela at The Bella Vita. I had no intention of posting it as a recipe. But it turned out too good not to share with the world.
I wanted to use a whole clementine in the cake I made, and thought why not make some sugared peel to go with it. I didn’t think it would be edible. Well, I soon realised how terribly wrong I was. Not only was it edible, it was delicious. So delicious in fact that I had to put it out of my hand’s reach, as I kept nibbling on it as I made the cake.
I am no stranger to candying fruit. I sugared my cranberries for my white chocolate Christmas cheesecake. The method is so simple that I am surprised people still buy their own fruit candy. Okay, there’s sugar involved, so it isn’t healthy, but at least there are no hidden nasties. And just look at that beautiful, natural colour!
All you need to candy fruit are two ingredients: sugar and water. That’s it. You simply heat them together and throw in your strips of peel. It takes a little while for the peel to dry, but it isn’t laborious at all. I can’t see how I can ever make a citrus cake again without candied peel adorning it.
Back to the clementine polenta cake I made. This, like most of my recipes, is simple to make. Polenta is a wonderful addition to cakes, and doesn’t produce a grainy texture. Although my polenta cake has a denser crumb, it is soft, with a delicious crunchy exterior. I was so happy with how it turned out, and I am already think of how I can use polenta again.
The recipe for my candied clementine peel is below, as usual. Here is the link for the clementine polenta cake. Make sure you try it out; it’s a keeper.
Candied Clementine Peel
Ingredients
- 70g (⅓ cup) sugar (divided)
- 40ml (⅛ cup) water
- the peel of one clementine (sliced in strips)
Instructions
Candied Clementine Peel:
- Gently peel off the skin and remove the pith with a sharp knife.
- Cut into strips (it doesn’t matter how long they are, but don’t make them too thick).
- Heat half of the sugar and water together until the sugar melts.
- Add the tangerine strips to the boiling mixture and give them a stir so that they have a good covering.
- Leave them to cook on a fairly low heat for around 15 minutes until most of the liquid has dissolved and the strands have softened and increased in colour.
- Using tongs, separate each strand and place on a wire rack. Leave them for around one hour.
- Place the rest of the sugar in a bowl and add the strands, making sure they are all covered in sugar.
- Once more, place them on a rack and leave them to set for a couple of hours.
Clementine Polenta Cake:
- The recipe can be found here.
Notes