SC - Sun drying
Uduido@aol.com
Uduido at aol.com
Mon Jul 14 18:05:26 PDT 1997
Stefan li Rous asked:
>Anyone else out there made candied fruit peel? How did yours taste?
Yes, I make a fair amount of it (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit - only
the first two are "period"). I use Dawson's recipe and found that the
longer and slower I take to make it the better it is. Modern recipes
have the peel made in a day or less. Dawson's is a leisurely process
of simmering/boiling the peel, letting it soak in cold water,
re-boiling, etc. Counting up his processes, it can take 8 days. I've
taken longer when I've been too busy with work to oversee the final
candying process.
I've found that what I do during the final boiling of the sugar
syrup/peel combination affects the outcome of the peel. If I try to
rush the process I will usually end up with a "tougher", firmer peel,
sometimes with a sugar coating. If I do it slower I can end up with a
soft, tender peel that is a bit sticky to the touch. Since sticky peel
is harder to store I usually end up overcooking the peel.
Dawson says the peel will keep for a year or so. If the peel is "hard
boiled" to toughness it dries out within a few months and is too hard
on the teeth. If I've done it "softly" so I have a moist peel, while
it will dry, it won't dry out very fast. A few times I've had a
problem with too-moist peel spoiling.
Another factor is how strong a sugar syrup is used. Modern peels use a
fairly heavy syrup but the period recipe where a proportion is given
isn't very sugary. As to taste, I notice a flavor of the fruit as well
as a "bite."
Alys Katharine
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