candied grapefruit peel... it's like perfume

Oh the holiday pressures....

One thing I have been waiting to make is candied grapefruit peel! Last year I didn't make enough and so this year, I made 3 times as much. Is't not too sweet, has a crystallized texture on the outside and a burst of soft chewy floral on the inside. Plus it travels well and has a long self life!

Any kind of citrus peel makes an excellent candy, although I did find that using organic fruit peel doesn't leave a pungent aftertaste. I used grapefruit and pummelo here, and closer to Christmas, I'll dip the ends in chocolate and give out as gifts!

Here is the recipe for a small amount...

Candied Grapefruit Peel
4 organic grapefruit, or any other citrus fruit
Water to cover the peels
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup of turbinado sugar or sugar in the raw or white sugar
Newspaper

Wash and peel or cut off grapefruit skin and tear or cut into pieces about 1/2 inch wide. Put peels in a stock pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and put back in pot, cover with fresh water and boil for a half hour. Meanwhile, layout 2 sheets of newspaper on a space you can spare vacant for 24 hours.

Drain water, add sugar and 1 cup of fresh water in with the cooked peels.  Continue to cook the water down into a simple syrup. Stir. When the syrup gets thick and no water is present, take off heat and allow to cool. (Optional) roll in turbinado sugar and lay out individually on the newspaper and allow to dry for 24 hours.
Wala! Christmas gifts for you and for others!