Ingredients
Directions
Quarter oranges and cut each wedge into smaller slices. (Save orange flesh for fruit salad or your daily vitamin C intake).
Cut rinds into 1/4 inch (6mm) thick slices (or leave them whole) and blanch 3 times by covering rinds with cool water, bring to boil, drain and rinse – repeat this step twice.
Add water and sugar and bring a boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer; best under the boiling point ≈198ºF (95ºC) and poach for about 2 hours. Turn the heat off and let cool down to room temp. Drain candied orange strips and arrange them in a clean and rectangular container. Save and cook up syrup to 220ºF (104ºC) – cool to room temperature and cover the oranges and store in the refrigerator for months. Before dipping orange strips in chocolate, drain them onto a cooling rack to dry out for a day or 2 or, place in a ≈ 250ºF (120ºC) oven for 2 hours – turn oven off and leave candied orange peels inside to cool. At this joncture, orange peels can be coated in granulated sugar and stored as is for up to a year. Save syrup to enhance future pastries or use as a sweetener for pastries, cocktails, tea...
Note: Once coated in sugar, candied orange peels cannot be dipped in chocolate.
Use a chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter called couverture (no less than 35%). This additional cocoa butter, combined with proper tempering, gives the chocolate more sheen, a firmer "snap" when broken, and a creamy mellow flavor. Once done with dipping, soften chocolate if it needs to and spread over a baking tray lined with a silicone mat, chill and break into pieces for later use. Wrap and store chocolate in cool storage or refrigerator drawer.
Melt chocolate over water-bath. The temperature of the chocolate should not exceed 120ºF (50ºC).. wipe off the bottom of the bowl when removing it from the heat. Place melted chocolate in the refrigerator and let cool down; stirring every so often until the temperature reaches 80ºF (26/27ºC) – Chocolate will begin to set on the sides of the bowl. Carefully, rewarm chocolate to 88ºF (31/32ºC). Dip dried candied orange peels in chocolate, remove excess chocolate and let set on baking tray lined with parchment or silicone mat. Or, coat immediately in powdered chocolate to give a nice frosting effect… Store chocolate orangette in a cool storage or in the refrigerator drawer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!