Last summer we were thrilled to come across citron at a roadside produce stand on the way to Tagaytay. We thought at first they might be Sorrento lemons, but back home a quick slice revealed they were citron, and not juicy at all. So I decided to cut up the rinds and make candied citron. The process for making candied citrus rinds is described in this post on candied Sagada orange rinds.
The citron turned out terrific. I did two versions, one without a caster sugar coating that would be perfect for a dip in bitter chocolate, and the sugared version which made for good eating or chopped up and incorporated into cakes/breads. It take a bit of time to candy your own citrus peel, but it’s definitely worth the effort. So the next time you have an abundance of orange or pomelo or citron peels, try this simple way to transform them into something delicious.
10 Responses
What perfect timing on your post. I was just thinking about making some pate de fruit for the summer!! And like you said, dipping in dark chocolate (sans caster sugar) is the perfect snack!!
i love candied citrus rind and it makes perfect sense to use up all the fruit you buy, since you pay not only for the pulp that you eat but for the rind as well. sulit!
For a long time I thought candied citron peel was just a filler in the mixed candied citrus peel mix until I tried using just the orange and lemon candied peel to the panforte I make. It completely changed its balance of flavor. Citron candied peel adds an indispensable and distinct mellowness to the mix.
Dipping candied fruit into bitter chocolate – is that the reason why, in your June ’09 citron post, you had a photo of the citron, the lemon and a small bar of Hershey’s with green foil covering? I found the photo funny, for some inane reason. ^_^
Anna, no, the chocolate in that photo was just to show you relative size of the citron, lemon and a choc… Footloose, yes, the citron does have a distinct flavor to it and great in breads…
i’m hoping someone can help me with this one.
i tried to make candied iba, but had no success at all. i sliced them thin on a mandoline and went through the same process as making candied rind, but it never hardened. anyone have any suggestions?
i wanted to serve it as a garnish to go with an iba granita, but had to resort to a slice of fresh iba instead.
Funny to come across a lemony fruit called Citron as this is the Swedish name for the regular lemon. Had to read your post on citron to find out more about this strange citrus fruit and wow – what a huge and not-so-nice looking citron! But you found some sweet use for it, at least. Your candied citrons look gorgeous!
Next time when you come across some huge ruby grapefruits, make some candied rinds as they are so lovely in colour, somewhat transluscent pink/orange and I like their slightly tarty bitter taste that contrast with the sweet sugary rind. Dipped in chocolate, it’s a treat!
hi marketman! the candied citron looks yummy. unfortunately, i gave up candy/sweets for lent.
for your upcoming posts, i hope you make easy meatless recipes for lent. as someone who’s living alone far away from our cook, i’m tired of eating baked/fried (insert seafood) in butter and garlic. i’m having a hard time thinking of making something easy to make. i was looking at the search tab for tuna pasta but results came out differently.
HI MM. When you say pith, do you mean all the white part of the rind? Or just the fibrous part? I noticed the citron has a really thick peel, but I saw in the pictures that this was what you candied.
Risa, just the skin and a bit of the layer underneath it. For oranges and lemons, just the skin, no or very little pith/white at all.