Italian Home Cooking and Entertaining

 
Ingredients:
6 Navel Oranges
7 Lbs Sugar (approximately)
3 Bittersweet chocolate bars

Equipment:
Saccharometer, two-quart glass jar with lid, double boiler, chocolate dipping fork, toothpicks, parchment paper, paring knife. (Additional: champagne glass or other similarly shaped container, baster).

Personally, I love candied orange peels dipped in very dark chocolate. The sweet and slightly tangy taste of the peels matches wonderfully with the bittersweet taste of the chocolate. The textures of the two main ingredients complement each other perfectly: the supple yet firm texture of the orange peels embraced by a thin crisp shell of chocolate.
I admit that preparing these luscious candies takes times, but it is really worth the effort. Additionally, if you managed not to devour all the peels yourself and assuming you can save them from your relatives and cohabitants, these treats are sure to make a great gift for any person who knows about good food.

The whole concept of candied fruit consists in letting the sugar penetrate the skin of the fruits slowly and evenly. That is why the process to create the candied orange peel is so long. There are no shortcuts. Trust me–I tried them and none worked.  In order to make the sugar penetrate the skins we shall begin by pouring hot sugar syrup, at growing degrees of concentration, over the prepared peels.

Any well-organized and supplied kitchen should already have the necessary equipment, the only exception being the saccharometer.

This simple instrument is a glass vial with a little weight inside that allows it to float in an upright position while in fluids. There is also a graduated scale that indicates the density of the fluid in which the instrument is immersed. The denser the fluid, the more the saccharometer will float over it and the higher the reading of the graduated scale. It is essential to have these measurements as we make the candied orange peels.

Since the density of a fluid is higher when it is cold one would ideally measure the syrup at one consistent temperature. Often this is not possible, since the temperature of the syrup needed to dissolve the sugar can be different according to the quantity of the sugar. I suggest that you don’t worry about it too much. Just measure the syrup density as soon as the additional sugar has melted. To do this I suggest that you transfer a bit of the syrup to a champagne glass or any other container that is thin and tall. A champagne glass is easier to handle and deep enough to read the density indicated by the saccharometer. In order to transfer the syrup from the pot to the glass I used a turkey baster, thus avoiding the complications of pouring directly from the saucepan into the glass and avoiding spills (the syrup is sticky—you do not want it anywhere else than in the saucepan or the glass).
It is interesting to notice how the peels float 

when first immersed in the syrup. Gradually, as they absorb sugar they became heavier than the syrup and sink to the bottom 

This is a sign that the syrup has transferred its sugar to the peels. You could get to the same conclusion if you measure the density of the sugar after the peels have rested in it overnight. You will realize that the degrees of the density have diminished.

Enough talking… let’s start cooking!
 
Step 1:
Peel oranges, obtaining four regular pieces of peel per orange (total 24 peels). Cut the pieces into halves lengthwise to obtain 48 regular pieces.

Using a sharp paring knife cut off excess internal white from peels, so as to obtain very clean and regular pieces (to do this with ease, flatten the peel on a chopping board and cut parallel to the chopping board). This cleaning process is very important because too much “white” in the skin would be tasteless and since it is sort of fluffy it would retain more sugar than the outer part of the peel, making the chocolate distribute unevenly and generally ruining the harmony of the candid fruit.

Step 2:
Put a large pot of water on to boil and dip the peels in the pot when water is boiling. Boil for approximately 15 minutes or until the peels are easily pierced with a tooth pick. Drain the water.

Step 3:
Put the peels in a large bowl filled with fresh water and let them rest there for two days, changing the water as often as possible. This process will wash away the bitter taste from the peels (you will be able to smell the strong, bitter aroma of the orange peels every time you change the water).

Step 4:
Prepare a sugar syrup heating one liter of water and dissolving in it one pound of sugar. As soon as the sugar dissolves measure the density of the syrup using a saccharometer. (See above for more precise directions). The density should be approximately 18-20 degrees. Bring the syrup to light boil and pour it onto the orange peels in an approximately two-quart container. The container should have a cover to protect the contents from dust and to prevent the peels from drying. Leave the peels to rest overnight.

Step 5:
Drain the syrup and pull the peels apart. Heat the syrup adding one pound of sugar. A soon as the sugar is completely melted, measure its density. You should obtain a syrup density of approximately 22-23 degrees. If the density is lower, add a bit more sugar to reach such density. (If it is higher, do not bother with the numbers and just use the denser syrup). Bring to a light boil and pour it onto the orange peels in their container. Cover and let rest overnight.

Step 6:
Repeat step 5 daily for four days bringing the syrup to 25 degrees, then 28, 31, 34.

Step 7:
Drain the syrup and heat it. Add sugar to bring it to a 36 degree density. Add the peels to the boiling syrup and let them boil for approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain and put the peels on parchment paper.

Let them rest overnight.

Step 8:
In a double boiler melt three bars of fine bittersweet chocolate with a very high cocoa content. Using the dipping fork, dip each peel into the chocolate and then put it on the parchment paper to rest until they are completely dry (when ready, the chocolate will have lost its shine and will not stick to your fingers when you touch it).

Transfer to a covered jar and store in a dry place at room temperature.