Recipe: Candied lemon peel

The good thing about organic lemons? The whole fruits can be used. Candied lemon peel can be enjoyed just as it is or used in baking. Recipe by OccasionallyEggs

Ingredients

• 6 lemons
• 400 g cane sugar, plus more for coating
• 400 ml water, plus more for boiling

Instructions

1. Halve and juice the lemons, setting aside the juice to use in other recipes (for example this one).
2. Place the peels into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Drain and place the peels back into the pot, covering with water again. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. The peels should be soft.
4. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Once cool, cut the halves once more, to make wedges. Carefully scrape the flesh and pith away from the peel with a paring knife, getting as much of the white pith as possible.
5. Place the peels into a pot along with the 400 g sugar and 400 ml water.
6. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for 30 minutes.
7. You have two options now, depending on how you want to use the peel. For baking, simply cool and then store the peel in the syrup it was cooked in, placing into an airtight jar in the refrigerator. For eating, continue to step 8.
8. Drain the peel, reserving the syrup for other uses (brushing on cakes, for example). Cut it into strips, then place the strips into a shallow bowl with more cane sugar. Toss to coat.
9. Place the strips of peel onto a rack and set this on a large baking sheet. Bake at 50° for 30 minutes, then cool at room temperature for 30 minutes to dry further.
10. Store the dried peel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.