It seems a shame to toss out the substantial peels of pomelos, and their thick layer of pith makes for outstanding preserves. But any thick-skinned citrus peel works well, here, so feel free to substitute oranges or grapefruit.
Candied Pomelo Peel
Candying citrus peels is occupational therapy at its finest—tactile and fragrant, requiring moments of focus, and hands-off contemplation, for days.
While the instructions seem lengthy, the method is deeply simple, and is summarized as follows: Weigh the peels, double their weight in sugar and water, and soak them in that syrup. The final sugaring is optional, but it adds crunch and also makes the dried candied citrus peel easier to store without the pieces sticking.
- 1 pomelo (or 2 – 3 oranges or grapefruit)
- Sugar
- Water
Cutting and sectioning: Wash and dry the pomelo. Slice off the top and bottom of the skin. Cut into the peel deeply, top to bottom. Section the peel into 8 equal pieces, and gently pull each piece intact from the fruit. Trim off any loose pith from each piece, leaving most of the pith (its candied texture is wonderful). Slice each piece into 3 or 4 longitudinal strips.
Soaking, cooking, soaking: Soak the peels overnight in a large bowl of water (they will float, so weigh them down with a plate or another bowl filled with water). Drain the water and fill a pot with fresh water. Add the peels and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the water is simmering, and cook until tender when pierced, about 1 ½ hours. Drain the peels, and soak them once more in cold water for at least an hour (or up to 24).
Drying and weighing: Drain the soaked peels, and roll them dry in a clean dishtowel. Weigh the dried peels. Weigh out double their weight in sugar. Keep half of the sugar in reserve in a jar or bowl. Weigh out double the peels’ weight in water.
Soaking in syrup: Place the peels upright in a jar that holds them without being squeezed. Combine their same-weight sugar and double-weight water in a pot and bring to a brief boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Allow this syrup to cool a little, then pour it carefully over the peels in the jar. It should cover them. If it doesn’t, boil up more sugar with double its weight in water. Add a lid to the jar and place on a counter (I use a boiled river pebble to weigh the peels down if they float up out of the syrup).
Leave 3 days. Pour off and boil the syrup again, adding half the remaining sugar. Pour this stronger syrup over the pieces. Add the lid, and wait 2 days. Repeat one more time: boil the syrup, adding the last portion of reserved sugar. Pour it over the pieces, and leave another 2 days, for a total of 7 days’ soaking.
Concentrating the syrup: After the third and final soaking, drain the peels, and boil their syrup until it is thick and reduced by about two-thirds. Arrange the peels in one or two layers in a shallow dish. Pour the concentrated syrup over them. Leave overnight.
Drying: Remove the peels from the syrup*, arrange the pieces in a single layer on a wire cooling rack or racks that you have placed on baking sheets covered in parchment paper. Place for 30 minutes in a very cool oven (250°F or less). After 30 minutes turn off the heat and leave the racks in the oven for an hour. Repeat twice (250° or less for 30 minutes, turn off heat for 1 hour, and again). Remove from the oven and leave out at room temp for 24 hours. The pieces should be slightly sticky, chewy, but very tender.
Sugaring (optional): Spread a thick layer of sugar in shallow bowl. Toss the peels in the sugar until they are coated. Store them upright in glass jars or in layers in lunch boxes, with parchment between the layers. Kept airtight the peels last upwards of six months.
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