Candied citrus zest
Make candied zest from any citrus fruit (see tip) and use as a tangy decoration for your cakes and cheesecakes. Once the zest has been poached in the syrup, you can toss it in extra sugar and/or citric acid, or leave it as it is. You will need to allow plenty of time for it to dry out.
Ingredients
- 3 limes (or alternatively 2 lemons, 1 large orange or 1 small grapefruit)
- 100g/3½oz granulated sugar, plus an extra 75g/2¾oz to finish, if desired
- ¼ tsp citric acid, ground to a powder (optional)
Method
Pare the zest from the limes (or other citrus fruit) in thick strips using a vegetable peeler, then cut the strips into thin sticks.
Put the zest in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then immediately strain and rinse under cold water. Repeat and set aside.
Put the sugar into a saucepan with 150ml/¼ pint water. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then add the zest and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes until the zest is translucent.
Using a slotted spoon, lift the zest out of the syrup (shaking off any excess syrup) and spread over non-stick baking paper. Discard any leftover syrup (or use in another recipe – it makes a lovely drizzle for cakes). Leave the zest to dry completely – an hour or two will usually be long enough, unless it is very humid, in which case leave overnight. Use as is, or leave the zest until cool enough to handle before tossing in the extra sugar and/or acid.
Recipe Tips
Citric acid adds a sour note to the flavour of the candied zest as well as acting as a preservative.
To store the candied zest, mix it with 75g/2¾oz granulated sugar and transfer to an airtight container. To store indefinitely, grind ¼ tsp citric acid to a powder and stir to mix evenly with the sugar before stirring in the citrus zest.
To make candied zest from other citrus fruit, replace the 3 limes with 2 lemons, 1 large orange or 1 small grapefruit. It's best to use thick skinned citrus fruit.
