Candied mandarin oranges -

[Sobaicecream]

Is there any reason why mandarin oranges (or their peel) should not be candied? Is the flavor not as intense as that of an orange? I thought that with its soft, thin skin, it might work nicely.

Sorry, I actually have two other candying questions:

1) I've been reading various candying recipes, and although most say to get rid of any pith, Waitrose.com claims that leaving the pith actually results in a more "succelent" peel. Any opinions?

2) Why do some recipes ask you to steam/boil citrus fruit in water before the sugar syrup part? Won't a lot of the flavor be lost?

[albiston]

Can't help with the two more technical questions, but I'm sure there's no reason to avoid candying mandarin oranges. Treated this way they're actually quite common in Sicilian sweets and often appear on top of cassata.

It could be that the Sicilian kind is slightly different from the one you mean. The taste is indeed weak but the aroma is really strong so only a part gets lost durying the process.

[Sobaicecream]

It could be that the Sicilian kind is slightly different from the one you mean. The taste is indeed weak but the aroma is really strong so only a part gets lost durying the process.

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Hi albiston,

Thanks for the reassurance. I wondered if something was wrong with candying mandarin oranges because there don't seem to be any recipes for it. I just read somewhere that limes shouldn't be candied because they turn brown--which doesn't seem like such a terrible thing to me if they still taste good.

[beccaboo]

2) Why do some recipes ask you to steam/boil citrus fruit in water before the sugar syrup part? Won't a lot of the flavor be lost?

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If you don't get the peel soft before adding it to the sugar syrup, it will never really soften: it might be a little more flavorful, but it'll be really hard.

[ludja]

Is there any reason why mandarin oranges (or their peel) should not be candied? Is the flavor not as intense as that of an orange? I thought that with its soft, thin skin, it might work nicely.

Sorry, I actually have two other candying questions:

1) I've been reading various candying recipes, and although most say to get rid of any pith, Waitrose.com claims that leaving the pith actually results in a more "succelent" peel. Any opinions?

2) Why do some recipes ask you to steam/boil citrus fruit in water before the sugar syrup part? Won't a lot of the flavor be lost?

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You can candy peel or zest. It depends on what you are going to use the end product for.

The zest alone might be used for more delicate applications, maybe as a decoration on top of cake, etc. For peel, that you might eat of of hand (perhaps after dipping half in bittersweet chocolate) or might use chopped up in a fruitcake or Italian ricotta pie you definately want about 1/8-1/4 inch of white pith left. This does add some bitter counterpoint to the sugar, but it's good! It also add "succulence" if you will, or body to the candied peel. If you have an orange or grapefruit with very thick pith you should make sure not to use all of it but, again, shoot for an 1/8 to 1/4 thickness.

I think the first boil without sugar is just an extra blanching step to soften the peel and remove some bitterness.

I have candied peel and zest quite a bit but have not tried to candy the fruit itself. Mandarins sound nice; it will be interesting to hear from others if there are any pros/cons or tips to candying them.

edited to add: I think mandarin or limes may not be used for candied peel (as opposed to zest) partly b/c they have so little pith with their thin skins. Anyway, interesting to see what others say!

Edited October 14, 2004 by ludja (log)

[Sobaicecream]

For peel, that you might eat of of hand (perhaps after dipping half in bittersweet chocolate) or might use chopped up in a fruitcake or Italian ricotta pie you definately want about 1/8-1/4 inch of white pith left.  This does add some bitter counterpoint to the sugar, but it's good!  It also add "succulence" if you will, or body to the candied peel.

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I do want to use the candied peel for a fruitcake, so I will take your advice, ludja, and leave a little pith. Thanks!

[andiesenji]

I leave all the inner peel when I use Navel oranges.

However I do cook them first in three changes of water to remove the bitterness.

You can do it in the microwave. Just use one of the 2-quart pyrex measurers, if you have one or a Pyrex bowl of similar size.

The easiest way to do it is to top and tail the orange. That is, cut a piece off the top and off the bottom. Then take a soup spoon or spoon of similar size with a rounded tip and work it down between the flesh of the orange and the inner peel and work it all the way around the fruit. Turn it upside down then do it from the other end until the peel is free.

Make one vertical cut and remove the peel, flatten it on a cutting board and cut it into the widths you want.

Doing it this way will insure that all your pieces are the same size and it is a lot quicker.

Place the peel in your Pyrex container, fill with cold water and place in microwave.

Microwave on high for 10 minutes - this should be enough time to have the water at a boil. If you have a lower power oven it will take longer.

Allow it to set for a few minutes then dump into a colander, drain, return to the bowl and repeat this procedure twice more.

At this point the peel should be very soft.

Now place in your simple syrup and cook at a simmer (crockpot works great) until translucent all the way through, including the inner peel.

Remove from the syrup using a slotted spoon or skimmer, and transfer to a wire rack on a pan or tray , separate so they won't stick together.

Place in a dry area, your oven is a good place, and allow to dry until barely tacky. Then toss in granulated sugar. store in a tightly closed jar.

If you are going to dip them in chocolate (half-way is good), you still have to apply the sugar so the surface won't be tacky.

[andiesenji]

I forgot to mention about the Mandarins. I candy the Clementines because they are small enough to candy well without it taking forever.

It helps to pierce them all over with a very fine needle and pre-cook them in boiling water.

However you have to have the syrup ready and immediately place the hot fruit into the hot syrup and cook at a low simmer for 4-6 hours, then allow the syrup to cool completely with the fruit in it, then repeat this procedure about three more times.

The point of this is that the heat drives out the internal moisture and when cooled down the syrup flows into the interior of the fruit to replace the expelled moisture.

However with a piece of fruit of this size it won't happen all at once. It happens in stages.

You have to do several at a time and after the third time of processing and at the end of the cooling period, cut one open and see how far the candying has progressed. If it is all the way to the center then it is done. You can tell because the inner membranes become translucent instead of white and opaque.

I hope this helps.

[ludja]

I forgot to mention about the Mandarins.  I candy the Clementines because they are small enough to candy well without it taking forever. 

It helps to pierce them all over with a very fine needle and pre-cook them in boiling water.

...

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Hi andiesenji,

Thanks for the detailed information. Now I have a silly question!

I wanted to confirm if the procedure you just described (for mandarins and clementines) is for the whole fruit? (seems so--but as I haven't done this, I wanted to double check).

If so, how do you use the end product? Just chop it up and use it as candied fruit in fruitcakes, etc?

When Sobaicecream asked the initial question, somehow I thought she was referring to candying segments of peeled mandarin... Have you also made something like this?

Thankyou!

[Redsugar]

Orange slices can be candied successfully, but other citrus fruits are generally too dense to absorb the poaching syrup and must be cut in strips (écorces d’agrumes). Peel is done when tender to the bite, and the time will depend on the variety of peel. (Grapefruit cooks the fastest; orange the slowest.)

For denser types of citrus peel (I like to use thick-skinned grapefruit & navel oranges), combine the julienne strips water, bring it to the boil, and cook for 1 minutes. The process is repeated 3 times in order to soften the zest and remove bitterness. Next, make a fairly dense simple syrup and gently simmer the strips for 2 or 3 minutes until they’re translucent before removing them to a lightly oiled rack to cool. If you want to use the peels as confections on their own, coat them w/ granulated sugar after they've dripped dry. To store, keep them protected & dry between sheets of waxed paper in a covered container.

Mandarins are a diverse group of citrus fruits, as they comprise clementines, tangerines, tangelos, and temple oranges. In A Feast of Fruits, Elizabeth Riely pointedly advises, “Whatever citrus you use [for candying], choose specimens with vibrant color.”

The candying of whole fruits may require successive cooking in progressively concentrated syrups until the required translucency is obtained. The syrup must penetrate the entire fruit thoroughly so that it can be preserved to a properly maximized ideal.

[andiesenji]

Hi andiesenji,

Thanks for the detailed information.  Now I have a silly question!

I wanted to confirm if the procedure you just described (for mandarins and clementines) is for the whole fruit?  (seems so--but as I haven't done this, I wanted to double check).

If so, how do you use the end product?  Just chop it up and use it as candied fruit in fruitcakes, etc?

When Sobaicecream asked the initial question, somehow I thought she was referring to candying segments of peeled mandarin...  Have you also made something like this?

Thankyou!

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I have candied many types of whole fruits. However they have to be small. The one exception is limes. They turn an ugly gray when cooked in the syrup and are not easily candied.

I use them for decoration, cut them up as a garnish. I candy the little seckel pears whole, but it is tricky.

I have been candying fruit, citrus peel, ginger, citron, nuts, pieces of melon, etc., since I was a child. My family did all of the candying of peel and fruit for fruitcakes, etc. I have experimented for years to get the process to the point where it is easy and works every time.

I candy orange and lemon peel in the microwave but have yet to get all my times recorded exactly so have yet to publish my recipe/method. It works for small batches just fine, in fact, I demonstrated it at my office one morning.

I also did kumquats as one of our patients brought in a bag full and most of the people in the office have no idea what to do with them.

The easiest things to start with are orange peel. However if you want to have something very fancy, you can candy dried apricots and peaches, mango or other dried fruits. This is a long, slow process as you don't want to cook the syrup to the point that it will solidify so that is why a crockpot is so nice to use.

I generally plump the fruit first by steaming, then place in the hot syrup. I go by look and feel more than by a set time. When it is right, it is easy to tell. The fruit remains glossy and plump after draining and is translucent.

Last year I candied or glacéed almost 10 pounds of apricots and peaches. A friend gave me some of the "printed" chocolate sheets with postage stame-sized designs in gold on the bittersweet chcolate base and I pasted one on each piece of fruit.

Everyone loved them.

I have been trying to find similar chocolate sheets but so far have been unsuccessful. I could make them but this was so easy. They are made to top molded chocolate candies with a flat top but they were just flexible enough to use on the fruits.

[albiston]

adiesenji,

thanks for the great tips, especially the idea of plumping up by steaming, I'll definitely try them out.

I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of a cold candying method. A few years ago I was visiting a friend in Genova and he had some delicious candied fruit, whole figs, mandarins and pears, with the cleanest fruit flavours I've ever tasted in candied fruit. He told me the pastry shop that makes them uses a cold method, but I was never able to find any details about that.

Does anyone have a clue of how this could work?

[Sobaicecream]

Thank you, andiesenji, for your very clear instructions. I'm definitely going to do the first part in the microwave, as you suggested. That sounds much easier.

Ludja was right that I probably want candied rind for my fruitcake rather than whole fruit. Still, the idea of an entire candied fruit is tantalizing. It's too bad it takes so many hours! I was just curious though, if the whole fruit is inevitably going to be chopped up, wouldn't it be easier simply to candy fruit that has been chopped first?

[andiesenji]

Usually the whole fruits were used as decoration but meant to be consumed. Very elaborate desserts would be fashioned of fruits and nuts, honey, wine or other liquor then topped with whole candied or glacé fruits representing those in the dish. They had to look natural but obviously be preserved. The Italians were the greatest artists at this and some of their candied fruits would even be covered with gold leaf for a presentation. Pure gold leaf is edible. Some of the larger fruits would take months to prepare but you have to remember that labor was very cheap in those days.

Here are some web sites that discuss and have recipes/methods for the process.

Here

and here

another recipe

This place has it for sale

more to buy

This is the method I worked up for Melinda Lee to post on her website. She also has my recipe for candied ginger on the site.

And for those who want to dip into history!

[Sobaicecream]

This is the method I worked up for Melinda Lee to post on her website.   She also has my recipe for candied ginger on the site. 

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Hi andie, I was reading your candied ginger recipe and am thinking I might have to add some to my fruitcake as well (at the rate I'm going, I'm not going to ever get around to actually making the cake). I understand that steaming the ginger is to prevent loss of flavor. But wouldn't it be okay to boil the ginger, and then use that same boiling water to make the simple syrup later? Then all that good ginger flavor would still be retained. What do you think?

[andiesenji]

I made it the old way for many years using young, tender ginger. Then I began experimenting and I got this idea when I was visiting my favorite Hunan restaurant, hanging out in the kitchen and watching Mama Quan cut old, large ginger into matchsticks then steaming it until it was tender. She explained that it was too fibrous to just stir-fry until it had been steamed.

Since I wanted to use the bigger pieces of ginger (home grown) for candying but it would have to boil for hours to get it tender enough (unless one wanted it for teething), I tried slicing it and steaming it and it worked beautifully.

I get some very large pieces of ginger so have large slices and no way would they ever get tender with boiling without losing all their flavor.

One can use the water for syrup, however the flavor is mostly in the syrup and not in the ginger itself. If you want only ginger syrup, yes, boil it but unless you have very young, 'new' ginger, it has to boil too long and doesn't retain the "bite" that I like.

You can always try it yourself and see how it works.

I spent several years perfecting this technique but one can always alter it to suit your preference. I just want people to get a good result and I know this works.

[ludja]

I have candied many types of whole fruits.  However they have to be small.  The one exception is limes.  They turn an ugly gray when cooked in the syrup and are not easily candied. 

...

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Thank you very much andiesenji!

I've only candied citrus peel before but I am excited to try some of the others you describe. There are many cakes and desserts that I avoid now if I can't find good quality glaceed fruit etc.

I haven't looked through all the links you provided yet, but have you also made candied cherries?

(Good commercial ones seem particularly difficult to find). It seems like your general instructions for candying fruit would work...

I have some recipes for brandied or pickled cherries but I don't think I have seen ones for glaceed/candied cherries.

Thank you again...

[Sobaicecream]

I get some very large pieces of ginger so have large slices and no way would they ever get tender with boiling without losing all their flavor.

One can use the water for syrup, however the flavor is mostly in the syrup and not in the ginger itself.  If you want only ginger syrup, yes, boil it but unless you have very young, 'new' ginger, it has to boil too long and doesn't retain the "bite" that I like. 

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Oh, I see! Sorry for questioning you, andie . I know you have a lot of experience, and I'm glad you told me this before I ended up with flavorless boiled ginger!

By the way, I made candied lemon and mandarin peel following your instructions. It came out beautifully. I was feeling so proud I wanted to include a little picture of my assorted peels. But I realized you must see candied peel all the time! Thanks so much again for your help.

[ravum]

The easiest way to do it is to top and tail the orange.  That is, cut a piece off the top and off the bottom.  Then take a soup spoon or spoon of similar size with a rounded tip and work it down between the flesh of the orange and the inner peel and work it all the way around the fruit.  Turn it upside down then do it from the other end until the peel is free.

Make one vertical cut and remove the peel, flatten it on a cutting board and cut it into the widths you want. 

Doing it this way will insure that all your pieces are the same size and it is a lot quicker. 

Place the peel in your Pyrex container, fill with cold water and place in microwave. 

Microwave on high for 10 minutes - this should be enough time to have the water at a boil.  If you have a lower power oven it will take longer. 

Allow it to set for a few minutes then dump into a colander, drain, return to the bowl and repeat this procedure twice more. 

At this point the peel should be very soft.

Now place in your simple syrup and cook at a simmer (crockpot works great) until translucent all the way through, including the inner peel. 

Remove from the syrup using a slotted spoon or skimmer, and transfer to a wire rack on a pan or tray , separate so they won't stick together.

Place in a dry area, your oven is a good place, and allow to dry until barely tacky.  Then toss in granulated sugar.  store in a tightly closed jar. 

If  you are going to dip them in chocolate (half-way is good), you still have to apply the sugar so the surface won't be tacky.

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Andie,I candied navel oranges using this method and it is wonderful.Slightly bitter and moist,it is miles ahead of any purchased peel.Thank you very very much for sharing this.I now chop up the peels whenever the oranges are juiced!!

Although I loved the final outcome,I'm not sure I did it right.I simmered it in the syrup for 15 mins.It did look transparent to me by then but is it enough?Or should it take a few hours?

Just brought a big knob of ginger to try the candied ginger recipe.Any particular reason to use the 7up?Can it be substituted with anything else?

[andiesenji]

I have candied many types of whole fruits.  However they have to be small.  The one exception is limes.  They turn an ugly gray when cooked in the syrup and are not easily candied. 

...

←

Thank you very much andiesenji!

I've only candied citrus peel before but I am excited to try some of the others you describe. There are many cakes and desserts that I avoid now if I can't find good quality glaceed fruit etc.

I haven't looked through all the links you provided yet, but have you also made candied cherries?

(Good commercial ones seem particularly difficult to find). It seems like your general instructions for candying fruit would work...

I have some recipes for brandied or pickled cherries but I don't think I have seen ones for glaceed/candied cherries.

Thank you again...

←

I missed this post when it first appeared but noticed it after reading back through the topic after the post added today.

For glacé cherries, go to Trader Joes and get the fat dried Bing cherries (or theother type)

or there is a new kind available at Sam's club that comes in a round plastic container that is very good.

First steam the dried cherries for about 5 minutes or so, then simmer gently in simple syrup for an hour, turn off and allow to cool completely then turn on and simmer for another hour and allow to cool. Your crockpot on low works great for this !

Take one out, cut into it and see if it is candied all the way through. If so you are finished. if not, give it another hour.

You can do this with the whole plums (they have golden ones with the seeds in which come out great) or whole figs, etc.

[andiesenji]

The easiest way to do it is to top and tail the orange.  That is, cut a piece off the top and off the bottom.  Then take a soup spoon or spoon of similar size with a rounded tip and work it down between the flesh of the orange and the inner peel and work it all the way around the fruit.  Turn it upside down then do it from the other end until the peel is free.

Make one vertical cut and remove the peel, flatten it on a cutting board and cut it into the widths you want. 

Doing it this way will insure that all your pieces are the same size and it is a lot quicker. 

Place the peel in your Pyrex container, fill with cold water and place in microwave. 

Microwave on high for 10 minutes - this should be enough time to have the water at a boil.  If you have a lower power oven it will take longer. 

Allow it to set for a few minutes then dump into a colander, drain, return to the bowl and repeat this procedure twice more. 

At this point the peel should be very soft.

Now place in your simple syrup and cook at a simmer (crockpot works great) until translucent all the way through, including the inner peel. 

Remove from the syrup using a slotted spoon or skimmer, and transfer to a wire rack on a pan or tray , separate so they won't stick together.

Place in a dry area, your oven is a good place, and allow to dry until barely tacky.  Then toss in granulated sugar.  store in a tightly closed jar. 

If  you are going to dip them in chocolate (half-way is good), you still have to apply the sugar so the surface won't be tacky.

←

Andie,I candied navel oranges using this method and it is wonderful.Slightly bitter and moist,it is miles ahead of any purchased peel.Thank you very very much for sharing this.I now chop up the peels whenever the oranges are juiced!!

Although I loved the final outcome,I'm not sure I did it right.I simmered it in the syrup for 15 mins.It did look transparent to me by then but is it enough?Or should it take a few hours?

Just brought a big knob of ginger to try the candied ginger recipe.Any particular reason to use the 7up?Can it be substituted with anything else?

←

Depending on how thick the peel is, I usually cook it (in a crockpot for small batches, in an electric roaster for large batches) for at least an hour because I am cooking it at a very low heat, barely simmering.

If you got a good result with 15 minutes, then it is fine. Some oranges have thinner skin and will cook more rapidly, but I like it when it is very soft and translucent all the way through and the white part is orange with no hint of white at all.

I usually tell people it should look like it is made of stained glass. Then you know it is finished.

[ravum]

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I usually tell people it should look like it is made of stained glass. Then you know it is finished.

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Stained glass is the perfect description.I made them again and they are delicious!!It did take an hour and a half.I hadnt cooked the previous batch long enough.

Cant wait to try the ginger....

[Darienne]

I have faithfully followed the directions to candy little Clementine oranges. Poked full of tiny holes with a thin pin and partly skewered from the blossom end. Now they are now in the sugar syrup in the slow cooker...floating.

Does it matter that they are floating? Should they be turned often? Be weighted down? Have I made an error of some kind?

[Darienne]

Next the Clementines.

After three days...out of the 14 prescribed days...the Clementines are almost black and taste very good but the syrup tastes almost burnt. I have taken them out and am going to dry them. They can be chopped up and used in ice cream and suchlike.

I tossed the syrup. Yesterday I used it on ice cream and it was very strong and very good. Some wouldn't have like it, but I did.

I obviously did something really wrong.

[andiesenji]

I don't think you did anything wrong.

Next time you can try draining them completely after a day and putting them in new syrup with a higher sugar content. The burnt taste is probably the key.

The tipping point of the sugar cooking is very tricky and in my experience doesn't follow the "rules" and may be influenced by the weather, the altitude and God knows what.

The Clementines I get are tiny - no more than 1 1/2 inches in diameter - and after two days in the syrup they have absorbed enough of the sugar that they don't float.

(I didn't see your earlier post about that.)

Mine do get darker but never brown or black.