Candied Orange Peel

9 clementines or other small oranges

4 1/2 cups vegan sugar

1  cup water, plus more for blanching

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, strained for seeds and pulp

pinch of salt

Cut top and bottom off each orange. Peel each orange with a vegetable peeler and reserve rinds. Cut each orange in half and juice to get 1/2 cup of juice.  Strain juice and discard seeds and pulp.  Set juice aside.  Slice orange rind into thin strips about 1/4 inch thick.  

Place sliced rind in a medium saucepan and add enough water just to cover.  Heat over medium-high heat until boiling.  Drain rinds and repeat process 4 times.  Remove blanched rinds from saucepan.

Add sugar, orange juice, salt and 1 cup of water to the saucepan.  Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved over medium-low heat.  Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes.  Add peels, return to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, over low heat at a gentle simmer.  To avoid crystals from forming, do not stir the pot.  If you must, gently swirl the pot around to move the peels while cooking.

 

When peels are finished cooking, pour syrup off into a resealable container and reserve for other uses.  Arrange peels in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, separate peels into individual slices and dredge in additional granulated sugar.  

Arrange dredged peels in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with any remaining dredging sugar. Leave to further cool and cure, uncovered for 48 hours.  

Store in an airtight container with dredging sugar at room temperature.  

Makes about 2 cups.