SC - Re: Candied Fruit Peel

[Elise Fleming]

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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