Candied Orange Peel

I love the taste of dark chocolate and orange together. Recently a friend took as to a local Gelateria and I tasted a fabulous gelato from Sicily. Wow! Almond and orange together! I could just feel the warm breeze of Sicily as I tasted that delicious flavor combination!

So one day I made a batch of these candied orange peels. My husband didn’t appreciate the bitterness that is inherent in citrus peels and so we thought they were a flop. But later I had some Italian friends over for lunch and didn’t have a dessert planned so I brought out the candied orange peels and some dark chocolate and they LOVED it!!! They scooped it up and couldn’t stop eating it much to my delight. So I learned not to trust my husbands palate when it comes to anything on the bitter scale, it is not up his alley. But the Italians apparently love it! I guess that stands to reason with their love for Compari in Spritz!

Candied Orange Peel

Ingredients:

Peel from two oranges

1 cup sugar

1/2 water

Instructions:

Remove the peal from 2 oranges, try not to get too much of the white part. Slice the peel into thin strips. Bring 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil, add orange peels. Cook on a slow boil (you may need to reduce heat) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the liquid is almost evaporated and it is thick, remove from heat and spoon onto a sheet of wax paper to cool. Separate the slices of orange peel to cool individually. Once cool store in a jar with a lid. It will keep for weeks. We love to eat it with dark chocolate as a simple dessert, it reminds me of Sicilian Gelato. Add a few almonds and it is perfection! It can also be used to flavor Cannolis or any other dessert. Let your imagination guide you!