candied-peels-msg – 5/25/13

Candied fruit peels. A late period treat.

NOTE: See also the files: candied-peels-art, chocolate-msg, sugar-msg, honey-msg, Sugarplums-art, Roses-a-Sugar-art, desserts-msg, sugar-paste-msg, sotelties-msg, candy-msg, candied-fruit-msg.

KEYWORDS: sugar candy period candied fruit comfits banquet honey

************************************************************************
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This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed to save space and remove clutter.

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Thank you,
    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: Gretchen Miller <grm+ at andrew.cmu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Delicious Nuts
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1993 12:32:30 -0400
Organization: Computer Operations, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

sucket is apparently a boiled sweet that is basically candied fruit
peels (or bitter things turned sweet).

In Banquetting Stuffe, the fare and social background of the Tudor and
Stuart banquet, (A wonderful book, all about sweets. It's the papers
from the First Leeds Symposium on Food History and Traditions. Contains
articles both scholarly and experimental.  Editor C. Anne Wilson,
publisher Edinburgh University Press, published 19912, ISBN
0-7486-0103-1),  Peter Brears gives the the following recipe and
redaction:

To make sucade of peeles of Lemmons (John Partridge, The Treasurie of
Commodious Conceits, and Hidden Secrets, 1573)

First take off your peeles by quarters and seeth them in faire water,
from three quartes to three pintes, then take them out, and put to as
much more water, and seeth them likewise, and doo againe, till the water
wherein they are sodden have no bitterness at all of the peeles, then
you are ready, now prepare a Sirop [of] the same liquor...one pint of
rosewater, and for every quart of liquor one half pound of sugar; seethe
them again together on a soft fire of coles till the Sugar bee
incorporated with the liquor, then put in your peeles, let them seeth
softly till you perceive that your sirop is as thicke as lite hony.  Put
them in a pot of stone.

Redation:
2 lemons
2 TBS (30ml) rosewater
14 oz (400 g) sugar
Halve the elmons, squeeze out the juice, cut the rinds into quarters and
scrape out any remaining membranes.  Boil the rinds in 1 pt of water for
30 minutes, changing the water three times during this period so that no
bitter taste remains and they are very tender.  Make a syrup with the
sugar, rosewater, and 3/4 pt (425 ml) water from the last boiling, and
simmer the peels in this until they are thrnaslucent and the syrup is as
thick as thin honey.  Store in sterilised jars until required.  Orange
peel may also be prepared in this way.  Being in syrup, these were known
as wet suckets.

You can also make them dry or candied (described later in the same paper).

Banquetting stuff is definately the book to get if you want a decent
bibliography of primary sources, and a decent discussion of what they
contain.

toodles, margaret


From: dickeney at access1.digex.net (Dick Eney)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help with Candymaking
Date: 1 Apr 1996 12:12:01 -0500
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA

Laura Shumar <lshumar at iquest.net> wrote:
>I've been trying to make candied citrus peel for THE Spring Event 
>(April 12-14, Lafayette, IN - don't miss it! :-)  But I haven't had
>much luck so far.  My directions say to cook the peel until it's
>translucent - so far it's been cooking for eight hours.
>
>I don't expect candymaking to be easy, but I can't imagine anyone
>going to this much trouble, even if oranges were a rare treat.  Does
>anyone have any advice/recipes to share?

I have seen some candied orange peel that was very extremely thin, and 
that I believe is the key to "translucent".  If you use only the very 
outmost part of the peel, it can be cooked to translucence.  However, I 
have made candied orange peel that was much thicker; I just cooked it 
until I thought it was done enough, that is, soft, and rolled it in the 
sugar.  It came out okay.  It was a long time ago and I don't have the 
recipe to hand.

-- Tamar the Gypsy


From: David Corliss <CORLISD at aa.wl.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help with Candymaking
Date: 2 Apr 1996 18:06:42 GMT
Organization: Parke-Davis Retrospective Validation

dickeney at access1.digex.net (Dick Eney) wrote:
>Laura Shumar <lshumar at iquest.net> wrote:
>>
>>I've been trying to make candied citrus peel for THE Spring Event 
>>(April 12-14, Lafayette, IN - don't miss it! :-)  But I haven't had
>>much luck so far.  My directions say to cook the peel until it's
>>translucent - so far it's been cooking for eight hours.

My gentle Lady and I recently prepared some of this confection. We found 
that it did not have to be heated *continuously* - when we had other 
things to do, we simply left it until later. Over the course of three or 
four days, I think we heated the stuff for somewhere between 12 and 16 
hours. It came out just fine.

It might be worthwhile to recall that perceptions of time and labor were 
not always as they are today. Anyone willing to attempt tapestry or 
making riveted mail or walking to Palestine would not be likely to balk 
at a matter of days to prepare a delicacy. Further, if your job is 
working in a kitchen 12 to 14 hours a day, you would little regard the 
effort required to watch over a pan now and then over the course of a 
day. 

Beorthwine


From: bsibly at chch.planet.org.nz (Belinda Sibly)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help with Candymaking
Date: 3 Apr 1996 14:32:28 GMT
Organization: PlaNet(NZ) Canterbury

dickeney at access1.digex.net (Dick Eney) wrote:
> Laura Shumar <lshumar at iquest.net> wrote:
>>I've been trying to make candied citrus peel for THE Spring Event 
>>(April 12-14, Lafayette, IN - don't miss it! :-)  But I haven't had
>>much luck so far.  My directions say to cook the peel until it's
>>translucent - so far it's been cooking for eight hours.
 
Don't be too literal about the transluscent thing. When I've done it the white 
pithy bits have gone a deep saffron yellow to orange colour, and the orange 
parts have gone really shiny. The translucence you are looking for is only 
about as translucent as orange candle wax that's just started to melt on the 
surface.

Use peel with a very thin pith or cut the surface of the peel off the orange 
with a potato peeler, going as deep as you can. about an eighth of an inch 
thick is good.

Oh, and keep the syrup you boiled the oranges in, add some orange juice and 
boil it til it about as thick as maple syrup. It's great poured over 
snow, crushed ice, or if you don't mind being OOP ice cream. If the orange 
peel is a disaster, and doesn't set properly or something you can cut it up 
small and throw it back into the syrup which makes the syrup even better.

But you think this is fiddly! I've seen recipes where you make the candy, add 
nuts, let it set. Re boil it, let it set again, break it up and grind it to a 
powder and then mix that into something else!!

Mistress Rowena Le Sarjent of Southron Gaard. (Caid's Baby Laurel)


From: alysk at ix.netcom.com(Elise Fleming )
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help with Candymaking
Date: 1 Apr 1996 22:21:42 GMT

lshumar at iquest.net (Laura Shumar) writes: 
>I've been trying to make candied citrus peel for THE Spring Event 
>(April 12-14, Lafayette, IN - don't miss it! :-)  But I haven't had
>much luck so far.  My directions say to cook the peel until it's
>translucent - so far it's been cooking for eight hours.

Greetings!  As Tamar noted, for translucency you'll need a thin peel. 
One way to get the thinness more easily is to gently boil the peel for
20 min. once or twice, with cold water soakings of 4+ hours in between.
Use fresh water each time you boil and you soak.  After a few
"boilings" you can more easily scrape away the white part under the
peel.  Be careful, though, or the peel may break into smaller pieces
during the final cooking process.

There are recipes in modern cookbooks - _Joy of Cooking_ being one I
know of.  Check with libraries for candymaking books with other
recipes. And, there is a very nice period recipe which I will send to
anyone via private e-mail since the description of the process is
somewhat lengthy.  It makes a nice moist peel whereas modern recipes
make a harder, tougher peel (which some people like!).  While the
period process can take 5-7 days, it is "user-friendly".  You do the
"boilings-up" when you can.  The final boiling with sugarwater is the
only place where you'll need a little time.

Alys Katharine


From: hwt at igs.net (Henry Troup)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help with Candymaking
Date: 2 Apr 1996 17:38:59 -0500

Laura Shumar <lshumar at iquest.net> wrote:
>I've been trying to make candied citrus peel for THE Spring Event 
>(April 12-14, Lafayette, IN - don't miss it! :-)  But I haven't had
>much luck so far.  My directions say to cook the peel until it's
>translucent - so far it's been cooking for eight hours.

I've made marmelade and the peel for that goes transparent in about an 
hour. How thin did you pare it? Did you exclude all of the white?  Did 
you scrub the oranges to remove any wax - can be quite a scrub, although 
the hot syrup should dissolve the wax.  

You want a fairly thick-peeled orange - navels should be good.
-- 
Henry Troup   hwt at igs.net    I am responsible for these opinions.  


From: lori.walters at rook.wa.com (Lori Walters)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Help with Candymaking
Date: Wed, 03 Apr 1996 03:54:00 GMT

L(>I've been trying to make candied citrus peel for THE Spring Event
L(>(April 12-14, Lafayette, IN - don't miss it! :-)  But I haven't had
L(>much luck so far.  My directions say to cook the peel until it's
L(>translucent - so far it's been cooking for eight hours.

Here's a good recipe. It's not quite in period, but it's fairly easy and
more palatable to the modern taste buds.
Candied Orange Peel
cut peel of each of 3 oranges into 4 sections with a sharp knife. remove
peel carefully with fingers. Scape white membrane from peel with
spoon(back of peel will appear porous when membrane is removed) Cut peel
lengthwise into strips 1/4 inch wide. Heat peel and 8 cups water to
boiling in 3 quart saucepan; reduce heat. simmer uncovered 30
minutes; drain. repeat simmering process.

Heat 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water to boiling in 2 quart saucepan,
stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, 45 minutes. Drain in
strainer. Roll peel in 1 1/2 cups sugar; spread on waxed paper to dry.

Works with grapefruit peel too.

HL Shaughnessy O'Brennan


From: crownprnts at aol.com (CrownPrnts)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Help with Candymaking
Date: 15 Apr 1996 22:18:11 -0400

A note about grapefruit peel -- you must boil it at least three times or
your candy will be bitter.

Lemon peel tastes the best (IMHO) but lemons are hard to peel.

Renata Kestryl of Highynds


Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: lshumar at iquest.net (Laura Shumar)
Subject: Candied Citrus Peel - thanks!!!
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 08:40:09 GMT

This is a very overdue thank-you to all the kind people who posted ane
e-mailed me regarding candied citrus peel.

One person warned me that "people won't eat it like chocolate," but this
certainly wasn't the case...it was far more popular than I expected!  I
don't know if they would've chosen it *over* chocolate...but it was all
eaten.

To sum up what I learned:  my cookbook (I used one titled "Chocolates and
Petit Fours", from that series of tall skinny white cookbooks) was wrong.
It has you boil your strips of orange peel (or whatever) WITHOUT removing
the pith....some of their recipes were good, but ignore this one!

Combining the advice I was given, I put the fruit (either big chunks of
peel or an entire half fruit, depending on what it was) into water and
boiled it for a few minutes, until the pith was easy to scrape away.  For
some peels I boiled it several times, in changes of water, letting the water
cool between boilings.  

After scraping away the white pith I cut the peel into bite-size pieces and
boiled it again.  Then I cooked it in the sugar water (usually 1.5 c. sugar
to 2 c. water) - I'd bring it to a boil, let it cool, and boil it again -
repeating until the syrup was thick.  Then the peel was ready to dry and
roll in sugar.

Following the cookbook's recipe I spent about 10 hours at the stove, 
carmelized the sugar (and ruined an enamel pan!), and got ok peel.  Following
the advice of SCA people I spent about an hour (total) on each batch,
didn't ruin any more pans, and got really nice looking peel (though I had
to add some food coloring to make my lime look green).  Thanks again to
all of you!

now...does anyone know how to remove burned-on sugar from one of Mom's
enamel pans? :-/

     -Laura


From: kathe1 at juno.com (Kathleen M Everitt)
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 19:33:29 EDT
Subject: SC - Lemon peel - long

Okay, I give up! I never thought there would be this much interest! 
:-D. Thanks to Dame Alys Katharine of Ashthorne Glen who first turned me
on to this stuff. I don't make it exactly the same way she did, but her's
was the first peel I tried that I actually liked. It looks a lot harder
than it is. It takes days to make, but only a few minutes per day. 

Happy Eating!

Julleran (kathe1 at juno.com)

Candied Peel

"a goodlye secret for to condite or confite Orenges, citrons, and all
other fruites in sirrop", a recipe from Thomas Dawson, THE SECOND PART OF
THE GOOD HUS-WIVES JEWELL, 1597.

"Take Cytrons and cut them in peeces, taking out of them the juice or
substance, then boyle them in freshe water halfe an hower untilll they be
tender, and when you take them out, cast them into cold water, leave them
there a good while, then set them on the fire againe in other freshe
water, doo but heate it a little with a small fire, for it not seeth, but
let it simper a little, continue thus eight daies together heating them
every day inn hot water: some heat the watre but one day, to the end that
the citron be not too tender, but change the freshe water at night to
take out the bitternesse of the pilles, the which being taken away, you
must tkae suger or Honey clarified wherein you must the citrons put,
having first wel dried them from the water, & in winter you must keep
them from the frost, & in the Sommer you shal leave them there all night,
and a day and a night in HOnie, then boile the Honie or Sugar by it selfe
without the orenges or Citrons by the space of halfe an hower or lesse
with a little fire, and being colde set it agiane to the fire with the
space of halfe an hower or lesse with a litle fire, and being colde set
it againe to the fire with the Citrons, continuing so two mornings: if
you wil put Honnie in water and not suger, you must clarifie it tow
times, and straine it through a strayner: having thus warmed and
clarified it you shall straine and sett it againe to the fire, with
Citrons onely, making them to boyle with a soft fire the spae of a
quarter of an houre, then take it from the fire & let it rest at every
time you do it, a day & a night: the next morning you shall boyle it
again together the space of half an hower, and doo so two morninges, to
the end that the Honie or Suger may be well incorporated with the
Citrons. All the cumuing sonsisteth in the boyling of this sirrope
togetehr with teh Citrons, and also the Sirrope by it selfe, and heerein
heede must be takken that it take not the smoke, so that it savour not
the fire: In this manner may be drest the Peaches, or lemmons Orenges,
Apples, green Malnuts, and other liste being boile more or lesse,
according to the nature of the fruits."

Redaction:

Take the peels from citrus fruit, cover with water and simmer for about
20 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water and let sit for about 8 hours.
Drain, cover with cold water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain,
cover with cold water and let sit for about 8 hours. (Repeat until peel
is tender and water is relatively clear. Number of times varies depending
on type of fruit and thickness of peel.) Remove excess pith after second
or third simmering, depending on tenderness.

Cut peel into bite-sized pieces, simmer again and save the water. Add
sugar to the water and boil it to make a syrup. Add peels and remove from
heat. Let sit overnight. Simmer peel in syrup until syrup is almost gone
and peel is translucent. Spread peel on cookie sheets to dry. (May be
speeded up by placing cookie sheets into a hot oven *after* you turn it
off.)


From: "Ray Caughlin" <rayc at totcon.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 08:15:09 -0400
Subject: SC - Fw: Lemon peel

Julleran, 
I didn't think you would mind if I posted this to the server. Your query at
the end made me think that you thought it was already an open post. I am
constantly getting them confused, and I am a programmer!

Lord Mandrigal of Mu- 

> From: Kathleen M Everitt <kathe1 at juno.com>
> To: rayc at totcon.com
> Subject: Re: Lemon peel
> Date: Sunday, April 20, 1997 1:34 PM
> 
> On Sun, 20 Apr 1997 11:59:22 -0400 "Ray Caughlin" <rayc at totcon.com> writes:
> >Thank you kind lady. I got the recipe when you sent it this last time.
> >
> >When they speak in the recipe of citron are they saying citrus or do they
> >really mean citron. There is a watermelon like melon that is called a
> >citron locally. Also there is a candied citron that is used in a jewish
> >recipe for mandel bread. Any ideas or do you think these are just
> >coincidences.
> >
> >Lord Mandrigal of Mu
> >
> >----------
> I'm not sure. Since the last line states that it works with apples and
> peaches, it might work on melon, but I've never tried it with anything
> other than grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime peel. I'm familiar with the
> candy citron from the grocery and it's a bit softer than some of the
> thicker skinned grapefruit I've tried. It might be a melon that is
> candied the same way. I just don't know. Maybe I'll try it this summer.
> I'll let you know if it works out. BTW, I've made an apple conserve from
> one of the period sources and it is very similar, except that the sugar
> water is not cooked down as much and it is jarred up to keep it moist
> rather than spreading the apples out to dry. I might try apples with this
> recipe. I think they would be great.
> 
> Anyone out there know what Dawson means by "Cytrons"? 
> 
> Julleran


Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 19:45:45 -0500 (CDT)
From: alysk at ix.netcom.com (Elise Fleming )
Subject: SC - Re: Candied Fruit Peel

Stefan li Rous asked:
>Anyone else out there made candied fruit peel? How did yours taste?

Yes, I make a fair amount of it (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit - only 
the first two are "period").  I use Dawson's recipe and found that the 
longer and slower I take to make it the better it is.  Modern recipes 
have the peel made in a day or less.  Dawson's is a leisurely process 
of simmering/boiling the peel, letting it soak in cold water, 
re-boiling, etc.  Counting up his processes, it can take 8 days.  I've 
taken longer when I've been too busy with work to oversee the final 
candying process.

I've found that what I do during the final boiling of the sugar 
syrup/peel combination affects the outcome of the peel.  If I try to 
rush the process I will usually end up with a "tougher", firmer peel, 
sometimes with a sugar coating.  If I do it slower I can end up with a 
soft, tender peel that is a bit sticky to the touch.  Since sticky peel 
is harder to store I usually end up overcooking the peel.

Dawson says the peel will keep for a year or so.  If the peel is "hard 
boiled" to toughness it dries out within a few months and is too hard 
on the teeth.  If I've done it "softly" so I have a moist peel, while 
it will dry, it won't dry out very fast.  A few times I've had a 
problem with too-moist peel spoiling.  

Another factor is how strong a sugar syrup is used.  Modern peels use a 
fairly heavy syrup but the period recipe where a proportion is given 
isn't very sugary.  As to taste, I notice a flavor of the fruit as well 
as a "bite."

Alys Katharine


Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 07:54:10 EDT
From: kathe1 at juno.com (Kathleen M Everitt)
Subject: Re: SC - candied fruit peel

On 14 Jul 1997 16:35:40 -0500 "Mark Harris"
<mark_harris at quickmail.sps.mot.com> writes:

>Both mine and the commercial one remind me or the orange shaped and 
>colored suger segment candy. Niether was like flavored rock candy.
>
>Anyone else out there made candied fruit peel? How did yours taste?

I make candied citrus peel a lot. How it turns out depends on a lot of
things. The thickness of the rind is one. Sunkist oranges and grapefruits
make great peel. I know we decided grapefruit isn't period, but it makes
great peel. Thinner peels get harder after you candy them. The only time
I did lime, it was like leather! Lemon depends on the fruit you get.
Sometimes the peel is thick, sometimes it's not much thicker than a lime
peel. The longer you take to make the peel, the softer it gets. You can
speed up the recipe and make it in a couple of days, but the finished
candy will be harder. As for taste, I think it all tastes like the fruit.
I don't use as much sugar as the recipe calls for, so it tastes more like
fruit and less like sugar. If you take your time with the peel, it will
lose most of its "bite" and just have a delicate orange, lemon, etc.
flavor. 

>Stefan li Rous

Julleran
kathe1 at juno.com


Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 17:41:39 EDT
From: kathe1 at juno.com (Kathleen M Everitt)
Subject: Re: SC - Candied Citrus Peel & Turkish Coffee

On Sat, 20 Sep 1997 18:34:48 -0400 (EDT) Uduido at aol.com writes:
><< Sending her my text file of candied peel privately. >>
>
>How about sending your text file of 'candied peel' listfully? If you shared
>it before . I have unfortunately lost it. :-(
>
>Lord Ras

Actually, I sent it several times! But here it is one more time!

Candied Peel

"a goodlye secret for to condite or confite Orenges, citrons, and all
other fruites in sirrop", a recipe from Thomas Dawson, THE SECOND PART OF
THE GOOD HUS-WIVES JEWELL, 1597.

"Take Cytrons and cut them in peeces, taking out of them the juice or
substance, then boyle them in freshe water halfe an hower untilll they be
tender, and when you take them out, cast them into cold water, leave them
there a good while, then set them on the fire againe in other freshe
water, doo but heate it a little with a small fire, for it not seeth, but
let it simper a little, continue thus eight daies together heating them
every day inn hot water: some heat the watre but one day, to the end that
the citron be not too tender, but change the freshe water at night to
take out the bitternesse of the pilles, the which being taken away, you
must tkae suger or Honey clarified wherein you must the citrons put,
having first wel dried them from the water, & in winter you must keep
them from the frost, & in the Sommer you shal leave them there all night,
and a day and a night in HOnie, then boile the Honie or Sugar by it selfe
without the orenges or Citrons by the space of halfe an hower or lesse
with a little fire, and being colde set it agiane to the fire with the
space of halfe an hower or lesse with a litle fire, and being colde set
it againe to the fire with the Citrons, continuing so two mornings: if
you wil put Honnie in water and not suger, you must clarifie it tow
times, and straine it through a strayner: having thus warmed and
clarified it you shall straine and sett it againe to the fire, with
Citrons onely, making them to boyle with a soft fire the spae of a
quarter of an houre, then take it from the fire & let it rest at every
time you do it, a day & a night: the next morning you shall boyle it
again together the space of half an hower, and doo so two morninges, to
the end that the Honie or Suger may be well incorporated with the
Citrons. All the cumuing sonsisteth in the boyling of this sirrope
togetehr with teh Citrons, and also the Sirrope by it selfe, and heerein
heede must be takken that it take not the smoke, so that it savour not
the fire: In this manner may be drest the Peaches, or lemmons Orenges,
Apples, green Malnuts, and other liste being boile more or lesse,
according to the nature of the fruits."

Redaction:

Take the peels from citrus fruit, cover with water and simmer for about
20 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water and let sit for about 8 hours.
Drain, cover with cold water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain,
cover with cold water and let sit for about 8 hours. (Repeat until peel
is tender and water is relatively clear. Number of times varies depending
on type of fruit and thickness of peel.) Remove excess pith after second
or third simmering, depending on tenderness.

Cut peel into bite-sized pieces, simmer again and save the water. Add
sugar to the water and boil it to make a syrup. Add peels and remove from
heat. Let sit overnight. Simmer peel in syrup until syrup is almost gone
and peel is translucent. Spread peel on cookie sheets to dry. (May be
speeded up by placing cookie sheets into a hot oven *after* you turn it
off.)


Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 11:33:21 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - candied fruit peel

At 12:48 AM +0000 10/9/97, Mark Harris wrote:
>Hildegarde asked in reference to candied fruit peels
>
>>Does anyone have documentation for this within period?  I have it filed
>>as 'perioid' (might be period).

There is a recipe for this in Hugh Platt's _Delights for Ladies_ from
around 1600 ("orange pills", if I remember correctly) which is in
Cariadoc's collection v. 1.  Alys Katherine of the Middle Kingdom has done
a lot of work with late period confectionary and could probably give you
more sources.

Elizabeth of Dendermonde/Betty Cook


Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 21:46:05 -0500 (CDT)
From: alysk at ix.netcom.com (Elise Fleming )
Subject: SC - Re: Candied Fruit Peel

Elizabeth of Dendermonde (hi!) wrote:

>There is a recipe for this in Hugh Platt's _Delights for Ladies_ from
>around 1600 ("orange pills", if I remember correctly) which is in
>Cariadoc's collection v. 1.  Alys Katherine of the Middle Kingdom has 
>done a lot of work with late period confectionary and could probably 
>give you more sources.

My recipe and modern version is from Dawson's 1597/98 cookery book.  It 
is lengthy but if you take your time (5-8 days!), it produces a 
deliciously moist peel.  If you e-mail me privately I will send it.  
Tried to send it to Berengaria when she requested peel but her 
addresses bounced.  Julleran's recipe is similar.  The recipe works 
nicely for lemon peel (use less time or the peels fall apart) and the 
non-period grapefruit and lime peels.

A good source of peels (if you can't eat all the oranges yourself) is 
to get the discarded peels from grocery stores that make their own 
juice.  The stores here give the peels away if you get there before 
they've tossed them and while some of the peel is damaged from the 
machine there is certainly enough to cut up nicely.

Alys Katharine (alysk at ix.netcom.com)


Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 18:36:19 -0600 (CST)
From: madbaker at ix.netcom.com (Jeremy Fletcher)
Subject: Re: SC - Candied Citrus Peel

There are also some recipes in The English Huswife, 1615.  Slightly post-period
but similar in most respects to Good Huswife's Iewell.  The one I have to hand
(which I haven't tried):

To make suckets.  Take curds, the parings of lemons, of oranges or pomecitrons,
or indeed any half ripe green fruit, and boil them till they be tender, in sweet
wort; then make a syrup in this sort: take three pound of sugar, and the whites
of four eggs, and a gallon of water; then swinge and beat the water and the eggs
together, and then put in your sugar, and set it on the fire, and let it have an
easy fire, and so let it boil six or seven walms, and then strain it through a
cloth, and let it seethe again till it fall from the spoon, and then put it into
the rinds of fruits.

    Wulfric of Creigull


Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 10:26:24 -0700
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: SC: Watermelon Rind

At 10:01 AM -0400 5/5/98, Ceridwen wrote:
>A text on Portuguese cooking from the Fifteenth Century (trans. Jane L.
>Crowley, 1988)
>
>Doce de Abobora (Pumpkin/squash sweets)

Two notes:

1. This text is no longer included in volume II of my collection, because I
realized that an English translation based on a modern Portuguese
translation was covered by the modern Portuguese translator's copyright;
I'll put it back in when I get someone to redo it from the original.

2. "Pumpkin/squash" is a misleading term, since all of our pumpkins and
squashes are from the New World. Our best guess is that such recipes refer
to Lageneria, the white flowered gourd, varieties of which are still used
in Chinese cooking and (I think) as an ornamental. The "Italian edible
gourd" may also be lageneria. (sp?)

David/Cariadoc
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/


Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 19:58:54 -0000
From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: SC - candied peel question

Hi there.  In response to the problems you mentioned, let me give you my two 
cents.

In our Barony, I am always asked to make candied peel.  There is no way I 
can eat all that fruit and also I am allergic to limes.  There are a couple 
of different things I do.

1.  I ask folks at work to save their peels.  I have baggies at my desk if 
anyone brings fruit in for lunch, etc.

2.  I buy a bag of oranges, some grapefruit, lemons and limes, etc. and peel 
them with a sharp potato peeler.  Since I can't eat all the fruit myself, I 
use the fruit another way; I slice and dry it.  Then I dip the dried rounds 
in white or dark chocolate.  I have found limes dipped in white chocolate 
are more popular than you would think.  Grapefruits too.  Oranges and 
tangerines are better in chocolate.

3.  I also have stored fruit peels in the refridge or freezer.  Just leave 
the pith scraping till you need to use them.  Scrape with the edge of a 
spoon, like you suggested, to remove the white pith.  It's actually easier 
to do it after they have been off the fruit for a while.

The artist in me drove me to making a wire tree which I "planted" in a 
florists green styrofoam covered roughly with green tissue with roots dug 
deep in and some small ones knarly showing on the surface of the "earth" and 
placed in a basket.  Then I hang bits of candied peel and cranberry on the 
tree and scatter the rest in the basket.  Very charming display.  It works 
for sugarpaste too!

If you have anymore questions about peel, just ask!

Lady Olwen the Odd
Clan of Odds
House Blackstar
Bright Hills Cooks Guild
Barony of Bright Hills
Kingdom of Atlantia!


Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 09:45:04 -0600
From: "Elise Fleming" <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: SC - Re: Candied Peel Question

One place I
found for "free" peels was at my local supermarket where they squeezed fresh
orange juice daily.  I asked for some of the discarded peels which they
thought was wierd, but they gave them to me.  You can cut around the hole
they make to insert the rod for squeezing.  I also found that the easiest
way to get rid of the white pith was to remove it with a regular spoon
_after_ it had gone through the boiling process several times.  It becomes
very soft and easy to remove at that point, leaving you with just the outer
skin.

Alys Katharine


Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2003 14:20:06 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] candied orange peel
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Johnnae commented:
Since it's winter and the bitter and blood oranges should be coming into
the markets, I am getting ready to do up some more candied oranges and
peels.

> Stefan asked--
> For candied orange peels have you found that using the less common and 
> more expensive bitter and blood oranges makes a differance? Or is this 
> just because you had them around from making the candied oranges? I 
> imagine that using bitter or blood oranges would make a big differance 
> there.

To which Master C commented-- I don't remember which ones she brought to
pinnsic but they were tasty.

Chirhart
----------
Sorry to take so long to be back on the list and reply to this.
Holidays and mundane things like broken water heaters happened this 
week.

To answer Stefan--
Yes, Bitter oranges have a different quality of peel and are more aromatic. Blood oranges are smaller and I like them for the contrasting colors that one finds. They range from pink to pale red to dark purple in terms of fruits, so they make a colorful display when candied. The peels are a  by-product. 

Actually there is wide variety of quality in terms of peels depending on where the fruit is coming from, variety, time or season of year, etc. Naval oranges and their peels (which is what I brought to Pennsic) can  vary widely over the course of the year. Of course I intensively candy and then dry mine  out so that the peel keeps well through the humid times of a Michigan summer. What I have been doing is that every morning I peel an Orange for my son's lunchbag. I wrap the fruit in saran or cling wrap and send  it to school with him. The peel gets put in a ziplock plastic bag in the  freezer. I save them up until I get enough to do a batch. 

It's thrifty and makes  use of what would normally be tossed out. It takes about 6 weeks or 30  oranges before I will do up a batch. (Navals aren't the most historic of fruits, but I can't see not using  what is available.) Thanks Master C. for the endorsement. Glad you liked them 

Johnnae llyn Lewis


Date: Sat, 06 Dec 2003 13:26:34 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] candied orange peel
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

How long can one store the candied peel?
It depends how long one candies them, the recipe ones uses, the method, etc.
If you candy and then dry the peels, you can expect them to last months.
I store in plastic containers. Moisture content and a combination
of wet and sweetness can lead to molds, so be careful. You can do them
and freeze them but watch the thawing process. I push mine through
increasingly dense sugar syrups until they crystallize, so
I dry mine with crystals of sugar on them. They keep very well.
I use organic oranges at times, but will also just use run of the mill
oranges from the local supermarket. My peels get run through 2-3-4
boiling water baths and I figure that will take care of any surface
contaminations.

Johnnae llyn Lewis


Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 13:42:28 -0500
From: "Elise Fleming" <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Candied Lemon Peel
To: "sca-cooks at ansteorra.org" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Jadwiga wrote:
> Someone asked me "aren't candied lemon peels supposed to be dry?" And I
> thought about it, and the fact that they are referred to as a 'sucket',
> and eaten with 'sucket forks' and thought, wouldn't it be more usual 
> for them to be somewhat sticky, if you have to eat it with a fork?

Johnnae and I seem to disagree on what "dry" means.  She makes a peel that
has sugar crystals on it and the peel is _dry_, no moisture.  Mine lacks
the sugar crystals.  The peel itself is moist, sometimes requiring a roll
in sugar to de-sticky-fy it.  I use Dawson's 1597 recipe which also has a
long soak/cook period as you mentioned with Le Menagier, but it uses sugar
rather than honey.  There are some cooked peel recipes (one in honey and
spices comes to mind) that one keeps in the syrup.  That would require 
the use of a sucket fork.

Jadwiga, I'll send you my worked-out version of Dawson via private e-mail
since it's really long and may well have been posted here some years 
ago.

Alys Katharine


Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 18:47:56 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks]Candied Lemon Peel
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

I actually make a crystallized peel which is based on De Serres. I want something that fits the description that it will keep boxed for a year. There's a number of variations to these recipes depending on if one wants a soft sucket that's preserved in syrup, a soft candied peel that will be eaten right away or a peel that keeps. Right now I am doing a softer grapefruit peel in sugar syrups and I think it will end up as a wet sucket, because it seems to work that way. I have three varieties of oranges and two other peels being candied and more peels saved back. It's winter; I am candying.

Johnnae


Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 21:24:30 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] P: Candied Lemon Peels--- long reply
To: ooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

In answer to Jadwiga's request-- for candied lemon recipes---

These are some early recipes and references for preserving, candying, and working with citrus fruits from my book on oranges and citrus fruits. These recipes mention lemons---

Johnnae llyn Lewis
----------------

To make Succade of Peels of Oranges and Lemons. Chpter. xxxii.

Fyrste take offe your Peeles by quarters and seeth them in fair water,
from .iii. [three] quartes to .iii. [three] pynts, then take them out, 
and put to as
much more water, and seethe them lykewise, and so doe agayne, till the 
water

whein they are sodden have no bitternesse at all of the peeles, then
are they ready. Now prepare a Syrop  as ye doe for quinces condict in 
Syrop in y

[the] .xiiii. chapter before written: seeth them in the Syrope a while, 
a keep them in a Glasse or Pot.
John Partridge. The Treasurie of Commodious Conceits, & Hidden Secrets,

and may be called, The huswiues closet, of healthfull prouision, 1573.

  The relevant section of the earlier recipe that Partridge refers to is 
found in Chapter xiiii.

  It reads: “& put into the liquor being .ii. [2] or .iii. [3]quartes 
.i. [one]  pynte of Rosewater,  & for every quart also of liquor one 
half pound of suger, seethe them againe together on a soft fire of 
coles tyl [the] suger be incorporated with the liquor, thn put in your 
Quinces, let them seeth softly tyil you perceaue that your Syrope is as 
thick as liue hony, the[n] let them to keel, and take them out, lai 
them in a tray or treene platter : tyl they be cold…. “.

---------------------------------------

       To preserve Orenges, Lemmons, and Pomecitrons.

First shave your Orenges finely, and put them into water two dayes and two nights, changing your water three times a day then perboyle them in three
severall waters, then take so much water as you thnk convenient for the quantity of your oranges then put in for every pound of Orenges, one pound & a half of sugar into the water, and put in two whites of Egs & beat them altogither, then set them on the fire in a brasse vessel, and when they boile, scu them very clean, and cleane them through a Jellye bag then set it on the fire & put in the oranges. Use walnuts in like manner and use Lemmons & Pomecitrons in like sort,
but they must lye in water but one night.

A. W. A Book of Cookerye With the Servin in of the Table. 1591. p. 36r.
------------
I won't repeat the Dawson recipes on citrus fruits as they are very long and Countess Alys offered to send her version to you offlist. They are: To preserve orenges. from The Good Huswifes Jewell. 1596 p. 37,37, 38. ;

To Preserve Orenges from The Good Huswifes Jewell. 1596 p. 16r.;

A Goodlye Secret for to condite or confite Orenges, citrons, and all
other fruites in Sirrop. from Second Part of The Good Hus-wiues Iewell.
1597. p. 44-?]; To confite Orenge peele which may be done at all times
in the yeere, and chiefly in May, because then the saide peeles be
greatest and thickest fromThe Second Part of The Good Hus-wiues Iewell.
1597. pp. 42-43.;


       To preserue orrenges from The Second Part of The Good Huswiues
       Iewell. 1597. pp. 68-69.


       To preserue Orrenges, Lemmons, and Pomecitrons from The Second Part
       of The Good Hus-wiues Iewell. 1597. pp. 71.

To preserue pils of citrons or orenges. Chufe great pils of citrons or
of oranges, or Assrian citrons cut in foure or six peeces: clease them
from their inward skin and pippens, steepe them in cleare water for the
space of nine daies,
changing the water the fifth day, when the nine daies are past,
put them againe in cleare water to steepe untl they become sweete,
and have lost their bitternes and withal appeare cleare and transparent,
which is the signe of their sufficient watering: afterward boile
them in a vessel of brasse that is cleane, or in a leaden vessel so
long as till they be tender when they have cast out all their
waterishnes (waterisfhnes), put them to steepe in a Iulep made
of one part sugar and three parts of water for the space of foure
and twenty houres, afterward make them to boile at a little fire
so much as is sufficient: ake them out of the Iulep and put
them in a glasse vessel, and putting upon them the Iulep of rose
water thicke inouigh of consistence, that so it may afford them as
it were a crust: you may if you will romatize them with a little Amber
and Muske.

Charle Estienne and Jean Liébault. Maison Rustique, or The Countrie
Farme. 1600. p. 543.

Translated “into English by Richard Surflet practitioner in physicke,”
this is the first English translation of L'Agriculture et Maison Rustique.
The authors’ French name are Englished as “by Charles Steuens
and Iohn Liebault doctors of physicke”. It was originally published in
France in 1564.
The recipes that are included in the book are embedded in the text.
The above “recipe” is actually one paragraph as found on page 43.
I have given it a title based on the initial words of the given 
paragraph.
-----------


       35. To candy Orenge pills

Take your Orenge pilles after they be preserved,
then take fine Sugar and Rosewater, and boile it to the height of
Manus Christ, then drawe through your Sugar,
then lay them on the bottome of a sieve, and dry them in an oven after
you have drawne bread, and they will be candied.

Sir Hugh Plat. Delightes for Ladies. 1609. [number 35 in Fussell 
edition.]

-------------

To make sckets.

Take curds, the paring of lemons, of oranges or pomecitrons,
or indeed any half ripe green fruit, and boil them till they be tender,
in sweet wort; then make a syrup in this sort: take three pound of 
sugar,
and the whites of four eggs, and a galln of water; then swinge and
beat the water and the eggs together and then put in your sugar,
and set it on the fire, and let it have an easy fire, and so let it boil
six or seven walms, and then strain it through a cloth,
and let it seethe again till it fll from the spoon, and then put it
into the rinds of fruits.

Gervase Markham. The English Housewife. 1615, 1631.[Michael R. Best
edition.] p 120.

------------

To candy any root, fruit, or flower.

Dissolve sugar, or sugar-candy in rose-water, boil it t a height, put in
your roots, fruits, or flowers, the syrup being cold, then rest a little;
after take them out and boil the syrup the third time to a hardness,
putting in more sugar, but not rose-water: put in the roots, etc.,
the syrup being cold, andlet them stand until they candy.

Gervase Markham. The English Housewife. 1615, 1631.[Michael R. Best
edition.] pp. 120-121.

----------

Sucket-Candies. To Sucket-Candie greene Lemonds.

Wash this fruit with seething water, dry it & put it in a warme
Ove, the next day throw them in hot double refined Sugar,
boiled to a Candie height, boile them a walme or two, take them up,
and dry them in an Oven, the next day boxe them.

John Murrell. A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen. 1617. R 63.

To dry Fruts. To dry Orenges and Lemonds.

Raspe the skinnes of these fruits, cut them in halfes,
and take out the cores, lay the rindes presently in faire water
two or three dayes, to take away their bitternesses, then boile them
five or sixe times, in several watrs for the same purpose,
and when they be tender take them up, and dry them in a faire
cloath; then cover them in clarified Sugar, and boile it leasurely
two houres, then take them off, and put them in an earthen Pipkin,
and let them so remaine foure or fve dayes, or longer
the better, when you will dry them, set them on the fire
againe until they be through hot, drain them, and the whilest boile 
fresh
Sugar to a Candie height, then put them in, take them out, and
lay them on a basket-makers lattice, anddry them in a warme
Oven in one night, and they are ready.

John Murrell. A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen. 1617. R 95.

To sucket candy greene Lemons, a very cordial thing for the Stomake.

Take greene Lemons and preserve them in as much clariied
Sugar as will cover them, then take them out of the Sugar and
dry them in a cloath then lay them vpon a sheet of glasse,
and set them in a warme Ouen or stoue, sixe or seaven dayes,
then take as much double refined sugar as will cover them,
and boyle t to a candy height with as much Rose-water as
will desolve them, then throw on your dryed Lemons & turne
them with a spoone in the Sugar, then betweene hott and
cold put them up in Galley-pots or glasses and when
they be cold bind them close and keepe thm all the yeere.

John Murrell. A Delightfull Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen.
1621. R34.


Other recipes include Michel le Nostredame’s original recipes translated
by Knut Boesler in The Elixirs of Nostradamus. He includes a recipe for
How to Peserve Lemon Peel or the inner part of the fruit.

which due to copyright I won't reproduce here. I think you have 
mentioned
that you own a copy of it anyway.

Various recipes such as: To Preserue orringes and Leamons. 2 versions;
To Preserue Leamons or itrons; To make Paste of Orringes or Leamons.
may all be found in the A Booke of Sweetmeats which
comprises the second part of the volume published as Martha Washington’s
Booke of Cookery as edited by Karen Hess.

Lastly, the section on lemons from A Bookof Fruit & Flowers
from 1653 would seem an obvious source for recipes,
but as C. Anne Wilson notes in the 1984 Prospect Books
facsimile all the recipes are in fact pirated from Dawson and
the 1639 The Ladies Closet Opened. In any case volume offers recipe for

A Lemmon Sallet.; To Preserve Orenges or Lemmons;To make a past of 
Lemmons;

Johnnae llyn Lewis


Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:47:44 EST
From: SilverR0se at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Seeking a good recipe for candied citrus peel
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Renata's 1-2-3-4 Candied Citrus Peel

Syrup = 1 part water to 2 parts sugar. Use 3 parts peel to 4 parts syrup.

Peel the fruit in strips and cut off any white pith - it is bitter. It is 
easier to peel the lemons using a vegetable peeler.

The peel needs to be boiled before it is candied - lemon/orange peels 1-2 
boilings, grapefruit peel at least 3 boilings. Cover peel with cold water and 
bring to a boil. Let boil for 10-15 minutes (your kitchen will smell like Trix 
cereal), then drain and repeat as needed.

Dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat, stirring constantly. When the 
sugar is dissolved, turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Add the 
fruit peel and simmer until the peel becomes transparent.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO SPLASH ANY SYRUP AROUNDI It is very hot and will cause 
nasty burns, then dry rock hard on your kitchen surfaces and be hard to clean.

Skim the peel a few pieces at a time out of the still simmering syrup (if you 
turn off the heat the sugar will crystalize almost immediately)and roll in 
granulated sugar. Please on a rack to dry, then store in a air-tight container. 

Put the hot pot with the syrup in the sink and run cold water in and over it 
for a few minutes - this will dispose of the syrup and make the pot easy to 
clean.

Renata


Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 10:27:44 -0800
From: Ruth Frey <ruthf at uidaho.edu>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Seeking a good recipe for candied citrus peel
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

      FWIW, my own method is really similar to Renata's, but with a few
differences on prepping the peel.  I don't know if I'm especially
sensitive to the bitter compounds in citrus peels or not, but I've
never liked just taking the peel and boiling it.  That still leaves
the peel too bitter for my palate, and adds a "cooked" flavor I don't
care for.

      I prefer following the method outlined in some of the Period
sources (sorry, don't remember which ones off the top of my head,
though I could look them up; I seem to recall Platina is one), which
involves a long sequence of "cold" soaking.  I usually do this for
oranges, but it will work on other citrus (it worked really well the
time I tried it on lemons!).  It takes longer to set up than the "fast
boil" method, in terms of number of days (about a week to
completion).  But, the amount of work most of those days is next to
nothing, so if you plan ahead it's not a hassle.

     My method: take a knife and score the orange's peel so you can
remove it in about 4-5 vertical sections.  Try to keep each piece of
peel as whole as possible -- large pieces make the scraping and
handling easier.  Using a blunt spoon, scrape the white pith from the
inside of the peel sections, being careful not to "dig" too hard
(you'll puncture or tear the peel).  I usually scrape till I can see
the little bumps on the back side of the peel clearly.

      If you don't want to end up with a ton of oranges to eat all at
once for a big batch, I've found that you can do the peel'n'scrape
thing, then store the scraped peels in the freezer before moving on to
soaking.  You can build up a goodly pile of peels that way, one or two
oranges at a time.

      Next, take a large non-reactive (glass, plastic, stainless steel)
bowl or pot, put in your peels, cover with cold water, put a lid or
plastic wrap over the top, and put it in the refrigerator.  For the
next 3 - 5 days, pour off the water every morning and evening, and
replace with fresh water.  Soaking time will vary with your oranges.
I often nibble a little piece of the peel to test for the relative
bitterness when I think the batch is getting close.  When it tastes
about the way I want it, drain the peels and pat them dry with towels.

      Then, cut the peels into bite-size strips, and proceed with the
sugar syrup step exactly as Renata has it.  My last variation is to
roll the peels in a mix of powdered ginger and granulated sugar (about
1:3 ginger to sugar), instead of straight sugar, cuz I like the little
bit of ginger "brightness" it adds to the flavor, but plain sugar
works fine, too.

      And, last of all, I, too, discard the syrup.  My dainty taste
buds find *that* to be a little too bitter, too; I'd originally had
visions of saving it for ice cream or pancakes or whatever, so I was a
little disappointed . . . :(

                    -- Ruth


Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 17:08:10 -0800
From: Jim Davis <firedrake at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] candied ginger,	was: Seeking a good recipe
	for candied citrus peel
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

On Mar 9, 2006, at 4:32 PM, otsisto wrote:
> Though I am presently looking into crystalizing ginger, a friend who does
> the candied orange rinds recommended that I try and candy the rinds and the
> ginger together.
> Do you think the flavors would blend?
> Lyse

Oh, I think they'd blend WONderfully!

I love both confections and think the combination would be incredible.


Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:10:46 -0500
From: silverr0se at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied Orange Peel
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Stefan wrote:
> As someone else mentioned one of the important things is going
> to be getting as much of the pith (the white fuzzy stuff) off as
> possible. I'm not sure if boiling the peel first will help get off the
> pith or make it more difficult.

I always remove the pith before boiling the peel. I use a small  
paring knife and, firmly holding the peel onto a cutting board pith- 
side down, run the blade thru between the pith and the good part.  
Kind of like filleting a fish, only smaller and smells better.

If you wait until after boiling the peel becomes really too soft to  
work with without mangling. Also you have to wait for the peel to  
cool down enuf for it to be handled.

Grapefruit peel should be boiled at least twice (3X is better) orange  
peel once and lemon peel does not have to be boiled at all if the  
stripes are wide enuf. If you are doing lemon in fine strips they  
will actually burn in the syrup and so should be boiled once.

Renata


Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 12:15:51 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied Orange Peel
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

> I have received a lovely package of fruit through the mail from my parents
> and the oranges are so bright and beautiful, I can't help thinking of
> candying the peels as a treat.
>
> I have some tiny cookie cutters (say 1/2 to 3/8 inch across) and I was
> thinking of cutting the peel into shapes for decorative purposes.   
> Is this best done before or during or after the boiling process?
>
> Helena

Having read through a number of these posts, my own
thoughts are that this might work depending upon the type
of orange that you have received. Oranges vary a great deal
in their peels. Over the course of a year one will get thin peels
or thick peels. In terms of peels, I have now worked with a variety of
citrus fruits, including oranges, lemons, limes, pomelos and grapefruits.
The other Citrus fruits all vary in the thickness of the peels.
The oranges which you have received might or might not work, but that
doesn't mean that the idea wouldn't work. You may need to proceed with a different type of orange.

As for peeling--
During the course of my work with oranges and candying them,
"I finally settled on using a an expensive Zyliss peeler, although an
Oxo or Good Grips peeler might work well for you.
Try using different vegetable peelers or knives until you find a peeler
and a method that works best for you.
I also have settled after much experimentation on using a set
of Global paring knives. I find that a narrow slightly hooked (sometimes
called bird's beak curved knife) paring knife works well."

Pith or no pith varies from person to person and source to source.
"Numerous modern cookbooks in their candied peel recipes advocate
boiling the peels with the white pith left on. After boiling them, one
is told to then scrape out the softened white pith from the boiled
orange peel with a spoon or a melon ball cutter. I find this to be
largely to be unsatisfactory. It seems to me that it is far easier to
spend a few more minutes peeling the fruits carefully at the start than
it is to try and get the pith out of a piece of softened boiled peel.
Other recipes suggest that a thin layer of white pith makes the peel
softer and is desirable. Grapefruit peels, by the way, which when
candied for eventual dipping into chocolate seem to always have some
white pith left on them. ....In the past, numerous recipes call for
boiling initially until the fruit peels are translucent. This may have
been necessary when only /bitter/ varieties of fruits were being used.
It's not so necessary for many of today's varieties." from my book

I would have to warn that the cutters you own may not have a sharp
enough edge to cut through certain peels effectively without tearing.
Certain sections may cut through. Other edges may not cut at all.

I would also urge you not to totally destroy the enjoyment of eating the
fruits while attempting to get to the peels. Having lovely oranges
in a cold winter in the late Medieval period would have been a gift
of great luxury. Enjoy them while you work on the peels.

Johnnae llyn Lewis


Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:19:07 -0500
From: "Martha Oser" <osermart at msu.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied Orange Peel
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Actually, the whole thing worked rather well!

We peeled the oranges using one of those modern plastic orange peeler
doo-dahs.  I think they were just standard navel oranges and my husband was
able to get the peel off in about 4 large sections per orange.

I boiled them 3 times, changing the water each time.  After the first boil,
I used a paring knife to take off most of the pith, which had softened, as
had the peel itself.

They sat covered overnight after the second boiling and then I scraped more
pith with a spoon before the third boiling the next morning.

After the peel had cooled, I used my little cutters to cut a bunch of shapes
out of about half of the peel.  They worked really well and the peel had
softened so much, it required hardly any effort to cut through with the
cutters.  It does work better to cut with the peel side up rather than pith
side up.

I reserved the "liquor" from the last boil, which had a very light orange
flavor and color, added water to make 2 cups and added about a cup of sugar.
The cut shapes, scraps and strips I'd cut all went into the pot with the
sugar water and simmered for about an hour and a half.  Then they got
drained and rolled in granulated sugar and left out to dry for several
hours.  I would have left them overnight, but we have cats.

The remaining syrup that drained off thickened nicely as it cooled, and has
a light orange taste, though it is very sweet.  We are taking it to use
Christmas morning on french toast.

The shapes held up very well in the sugar water.  I think we lost one point
on one star, and that may have been due to a weak point in the peel itself
rather than harsh boiling.

I took a couple of photos of the shapes when they were all done, and I'll
post them eventually.  :)

  -Helena


Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:43:49 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

Truth be told the fruits will vary from time to time depending on the
sweetness or sourness of the original fruits. Peels vary too depending  
on if you cut all the pith away or leave some and if or how many times  
you boil or rinse the peels before candying. You can candy almost all  
the citrus fruits except pomelo peels are nasty. If you are doing  
citron, get a regular citron and not a Buddhist Hand. I thought  
candying the fruits of the blood oranges were among the most  
attractive, especially if you have a variety of colors that range from  
pale to deep ruby red. Just depends on what is in the market and at  
what price. Candying ginger would be another option.

Check out the recipes in Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery also and  
Hess's comments.

Johnnae
(been there and candied most of it)

On Nov 12, 2009, at 6:17 PM, Pixel, Goddess and Queen wrote:
<<< So our 12th Night this year is an Elizabethan theme. We have a  
number of people coming in from out of town (and staying with us)  
and I thought I'd be nice and provide lunch for all of us instead of  
relying on the site lunch or going out. And, being me, ideally I  
would like it to be documentable. So I am going to make candied  
lemon and orange peels (and a bunch of other stuff, and an A&S entry).
My questions (after perusing carefully the relevant bits of the  
Flori-thingy) are: can one use Clementines (yes, I know they aren't  
period) or is the peel too thin? I was thinking that I might  
experiment with making preserved oranges with them. Also, can one do  
the same thing with lemons successfully?
Many thanks, Margaret FitzWilliam >>>


Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:54:08 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

Invest a really good peeler that is sharp before you start.
I always used an Oxo one but I think I would recommend one
of the new ceramic peelers (Kyocera ceramic) these days.

If you are doing a lot, it's well worth the investment.

Johnnae

On Nov 12, 2009, at 6:17 PM, Pixel, Goddess and Queen wrote:
<<< can one use Clementines (yes, I know they aren't period) or is the  
peel too thin? I was thinking that I might experiment with making  
preserved oranges with them. Also, can one do the same thing with  
lemons successfully?
Many thanks, Margaret FitzWilliam >>>


Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:32:22 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

I didn't find them worth the bother in this case.
I had a very limited supply and that store has closed
so I may never see them again.
We've lost another gourmet/produce store within the last month;
we have fewer choices all the time for the unusual.

Johnnae

On Nov 13, 2009, at 2:18 PM, charding at nwlink.com wrote:
I have had good success with candying pumelo peels, you have to boil  
and discard the water a few times and then do the candying.

Maeva

<<< You can candy almost all the citrus fruits except pomelo peels are nasty.
Johnnae
(been there and candied most of it) >>>
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:32:22 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

I didn't find them worth the bother in this case.
I had a very limited supply and that store has closed
so I may never see them again.
We've lost another gourmet/produce store within the last month;
we have fewer choices all the time for the unusual.

Johnnae

On Nov 13, 2009, at 2:18 PM, charding at nwlink.com wrote:
I have had good success with candying pumelo peels, you have to boil  
and discard the water a few times and then do the candying.

Maeva

<<< You can candy almost all the citrus fruits except pomelo peels are nasty.
Johnnae
(been there and candied most of it) >>>


Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:50:33 -0800 (PST)
From: Raphaella DiContini <raphaellad at yahoo.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

For the feast I did last winter entirely from the anonymous Venetian I got a request for candied orange peels. I also got a request for vegan dishes, so I substituted sugar for honey. Here are some images of the process: http://ayeshadream.livejournal.com/242130.html

CXXX. A ffare ranciata bona e delicata. 
Toy la schorza del ranzo e fane quelli pezi che tu vole e curali ben dentro, miti a mole per 15 zorni poy le lessa in aqua tanto che sia tenere, lasale sugare per tri zorni, poy lo miti in lo mele che tu la voi bolire per tri zorni, poi la fa bolire un pocho e chambia, poy quello mele e miti l' altro chon le spezie; ma prima le specie siano messe dentro
sia spumato lo mele, bolla tanto che 'l mele sia ben cocto, poy la lassa alquanti zorni a l' aiere senza sole. 

CXXX To make a good and delicate dish of oranges 
Take the peel of the oranges, and cut into as many pieces as you want, and clean the insides well (free of white pith). Soak the peels for fifteen days in water, then put them to boil in an excess of water until they are tender. Let them dry for three days then put them in honey which you will boil for three days (bring the honey to a boil and leave the peels overnight).? Then you will give the honey a short boil and change it. To that honey one will add the peels with spices. First the spices are mixed into the skimmed honey, then the whole is boiled until the honey is well cooked. Then you will leave the peels a number of days in the air without sun to dry. 

I also experimented with both the long soaking method, as well as the method Master Eduardo uses, detailed below. This worked quite well and bitterness wise came out about the same as the long soak. I also tried both just cutting the peels into quarters, then strips, as well as my final method which was using a large peel version of a zester and peeling around in a circle which leaves you with fairly pith-free strips of peel.

I chose to use a candying method similar to that which Master Eduardo uses for his candied orange peels. The oranges are peels are boiled in water three times, approx. 20 minutes each, replacing the water each time (and reserving the water from the first two boilings for orangewater to wash the hands with). The peels are then boiled in simple syrup starting with 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, for every 1 cup boiled peels. After letting them dry in a dehydrator that is turned off (so it's not exposed to the air, but I found actually using the heat dries it too much), you can roll them in more sugar to coat the remaining stickiness and give them a nice sparkle. 

Another version- I did one batch that is much harder in texture, almost like a hard crack- this would be a candy you?d suck on rather than chew. I mostly used the first one, but depending on whether you want chewy or hard candy they're both quite nice. 

CXXXI. A ffare la ranziata batuta per altro modo. 
Fa chomo tu fa quella di sopra, azetto che non se muta el mele e vole essere molto ben batuto con uno coltello, poy coto in el mele e abi a mente che la vole essere cocta tanta
che lo mele sia quasio duro e vole pocho focho e temperato e sia cocto insieme con lo mele ed fata. 

CXXXI To make a chopped orange dish in another way 
Make this dish the same as that above, except that one does not change the honey and the orange peels should be finely chopped with a knife, then cooked in the honey. Bear in mind that they should be cooked so much that the honey is almost hard. It needs a very slow and temperate fire to cook the peels together with the honey and it is done. 

Raffaella


Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:02:20 -0800 (PST)
From: Raphaella DiContini <raphaellad at yahoo.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

<<< I am confused. The pictures show some spirals of
orange peel being removed from oranges. Is that what
you candied? If so, what prompted you to remove the
peel like that rather than removing all the peel from the
orange?

Alys K. >>>

I originally started by quartering the oranges and then scraping the pith off the peel with a knife. The peeling method went much faster and produced much more uniform pieces of peel, and as we candied the peels of 3 full cases of oranges this wound up being a much more streamline method. The next time I do a smaller batch I'm thinking of doing some of each method at the same time now that I've had more experience with the candying process. 

Raffaella 


Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:56:28 -0600
From: Katherine Kretchmar <katriona at irontreeworks.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Candied fruits--oranges and lemons

<<< Since I am no longer allowed sugar I am wondering if anyone out there has
candied peep with any of the substitutes, or at the very least a combo of
sugar and a substitute?
Eduardo >>>

My mother has candied a variety of citrus with xylitol.  It worked
well.  Xylitol gets cold when you mix it with liquid, so it takes a
bit longer to dissolve than sugar.  Other substitutes do not act like
sugar when cooked (aspertame, saccarine, sucralose, etc), so they do
not make candy the same way.  I use it for cookies and cakes.

Katriona
new to the list, and amazed to actually have an answer.  :)


Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:04:20 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Drying Candied Orange Peels

It really varies, depending upon the thickness of peels
and the amount of candying. If you candy until the peel is saturated
with sugar and has sugar crystals, those peels don't mold or
spoil. Chewier peels with less sugar are subject to decay.
How well they last depends on how they are stored, humidity, etc.
Besides vacuum packing or seal a meal storage, you might look into  
something like those Freshvac containers.

How many pounds are you planning on making for your feast in the fall?  
If you make them up fresh, the week of the event you should be ok.

Johnnae

<<< I am planning on doing a small test batch of orange peels.
There are a goodly number of recipes but there are a number
of different opinions as to the length of drying time.
Therefore I decided to ask the "experts", namely YOU!
Would one (or more) of you give me a hint as to an "ideal" time and
how you store them?  I live on the northern edge of Ansteorra.
I do not expect this batch to last long but I do plan to make
more for an event this Fall.  Will they keep well in baggies...
in refrigerator or in cool dry spot?  Any tips would be appreciated.

Aoife of Chemin Noir >>>


Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2012 22:27:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Daniel And elizabeth phelps  <dephelps at embarqmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for Recipes for Seville Orange Peel

<<< I've just scored a heap of Seville Orange Peel... I'll keep and freeze 
the juice for recipes later but I want to use the peel...
I do remember the ex-wife years ago making suckets from the peel, but 
for the life of me, I cant find a recipe...

Anyone able to help?

Drakey - 340 days accident free... >>>

From Martha Washington's Book of Cookery

To make orringe lozenges

Take preserved orringe & leamon pill minced small, of 
each one cunce; sugar candyed, ye quantety of A
nutmegg; ye powder of ye lesser cardemondes & 
carraway seed, of each ye weight of 2 pence; musk & 
civit, of each ye weight of 2 granes; fine sugar 
dissolved in rosewater, 5 ounces.  mingle these well 
togeather over ye fire, spread them on a silver plate 
& cut them into lozenges, & soe let them coole.

Side note according to Hess the two pence weighted about 3 grams or 1/9 of an ounce.  The weight of a grain is 1/7000 of a pound avoirdupois.  It is the weight of grain of wheat. 

To candy orring pills

Take Civill orringes & pare them vry thin. then cut
them in little pieces, & lay them in faire water a day &
a night, & shift them evening and morning. then boyle 
them, & shift them when the water is bitter into
another water, & continew this till the water & boyling
hath made tem soft & yt theyr bitterness be gon. then
dreyne ye water fromthem, & make a thin sirrup, in
which boyle them a pritty while.  then take them out & 
make antoher sirrup a little stronger, & boyle them a
while in ye .  then dreyne ye sirrup from them, & boyle
another sirrup to candy height , in wch put them.  then 
take them out & lay them on plats on(e) by one. when 
they are dry, turne them & then they are done,

Hope this helps.  The book has a number of recipes for preserving oranges and lemons whole.

Daniel


Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:08:47 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for Recipes for Seville Orange Peel

When all is said and done, the quickest place to locate recipes on an ingredient
is using medieval cookery.com. In this case you can search under orange and turn up a variety of recipes.

http://www.medievalcookery.com/search/search.html?term=orange&file=all

You'll have to decide on what you are aiming to create.
Do you want wet peel sugared suckets or more dried candied peels or peels with sugar crystals?

Actually there is wide variety of quality in terms of peels depending on where the fruit is coming from, variety, time or season of year, etc. This is true at least here in the states. It varies too depending on if you cut all the pith away or leave some and if or how many times you boil or rinse the peels before candying. Or if squeezing the oranges and using the peels pith and all-- that will vary from type to type and batch to batch. How many times do you boil the peels; how bitter they are to start with? 
This am I'll offer up a different Elizabethan recipe from those already suggested. This one is for whole oranges in case you want to forgo the juicing. 

Taken from A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen. Or, The Art of Preseruing, Conseruing, and Candying. Entered in the Stationers Registry 1 September 1602 and Printed for Arthur Iohnson, 1608. My edited and annotated edition of this work appears at medievalcookery.com.

[9] To preserue Oranges and Lymonds.

TAke your Oranges and Lymonds large and well coloured, and take a raspe of steele, and raspe the outward rind from them, then lay them in water three dayes and three nightes, then boyle them tender and shift them in the boyling to take away their bitternesse, and when they bee boyled tenderly, take two pound of sugar clarified with a pint of water, and when your syrope is made, and betwixt hot and cold, put in your Lymonds and Oranges, and there let them bee infused all night, the next morning let them boyle two or three walmes in your Syrope, let them not boyle too long in the sugar, because the rinds will be tough, take your Lymonds out and boyle your Syrope thicker, and so when it is colde, put them vp and keepe them all the yeare.

Johnnae

<the end>
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