Candied Citrus Peel
Labels: 100% sugar, fruit, small bites
Friday, November 03, 2006
Two weekends ago, I experimented with this recipe from a Mediterranean cookbook I bought at the Gran Canaria airport. It's called Candied Citrus Peel and is quite addictive.
Initially, I made a modest amount just to test the recipe out. When it passed the taste test, I went all out, tripling the recipe. Well, the process is a bit arduous, so one might as well go the whole hog.
Here's what I had to do (albeit with slight adjustments):
1. Remove flesh and pith from oranges and lemons. Slice thinly, blanch and then simmer in a sugar solution for about one hour. Let cool overnight.
2. Remove citrus peels and arrange on wire rack to dry. Once crystallized, dip individual strips into melted premium dark chocolate. Arrange on baking sheet and let chocolate dry.
3. Enjoy your hard work!
It takes something like 2-3 days for the peels to completely crystallize here where the air is dry. In tropical climes, I reckon it might take longer. My husband was very patient all week as the study was taken over by trays of curing peels. Well, at least they smelt good. Speaking of smells, the tangy aroma lasted for hours after the simmering process. My kitchen smelt so fresh!
On top of it being a fancy nibble served with after-dinner coffee or tea, I can see possiblities for it as a garnish for desserts like cake and ice-cream. At the moment, my husband and I are not giving them the proper respect they deserve, greedily snacking on them as and when. They are that good!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 12:01 pm
Fig-uratively Speaking
Now take a look when it's been sliced open. Labels: fruit, here and there
Friday, October 06, 2006
Last month, for the very first time in 33 years, (yes, that's how old I am :P) I tasted a fresh fig.
I now know why fig trees were found in the Garden of Eden. No, it wasn't just to provide Adam and Eve with mankind's first pret-a-porter collection to hide their nakedness, but rather, the fig fruit itself tastes heavenly.
One would never imgaine of its gastronomical pleasure awaiting inside if one viewed it at face value. Slightly bigger than a golf ball, the exterior is plain, almost boring even.
I ask you, does this fruit scream,"EAT ME!!!"? At the very most, it might garner a curious glance.
Behold the transformation. Here's another close-up:
The texture inside is rather thick and pulpy. While sweet, it is not overbearingly so. And because of its mild flavour, this is excellent with salads, proscuitto ham and other cold dishes. It also comes dried, usually preserved with sugar. This is eaten as a snack or used in baking cakes or breads. My favourite way is eating it fresh and plain so I get the full taste of it. Just as nature intended.
I get my figs from the Turkish greengrocer. I buy 90% of my fruit and vegetables there. Not only are they more competitive in pricing and quality than the mainstream supermarkets, their selection is wider too. I can even find stuff that are staples in Singapore but are considered exotic here. Case in point: I was standing in line to pay for my purchase of sweet potatoes and fresh red chillis. With all the furtive glances into my basket from the other Dutch customers, you'd think I had a sheep's head in there. Funny!
Another reason why I frequent the Turkish shop so much is because I like looking at ingrendients from another culture and then try and fuse it with our family's style of cooking. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but there's no harm in trying. At the very worst, we all end up with bad tummies.*LOL*. But on the other end of the spectrum, we may discover yet another home-cooked keeper.
A last thought on figs. Cliched as it might sound, every time I bite into a fresh fig, I'm reminded never to judge anything or anyone based on exterior looks alone. You never know, you might have a treasure on your hands. You just need to peel back the layers.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 5:43 am
