This sunny citrus fruit appears on our shelves in the fall and for a long time teases the eyes with its perfect round shape and bright colors. In addition to being consumed fresh, it is often used in cooking. As you may have guessed, we are talking about a fragrant and juicy orange. This is a truly unique product that is not only tasty, but also low-calorie, and most importantly, useful. Therefore, if the question arose about what to cook from oranges, then you went to the address.
Harm and contraindications
The disadvantage of candied orange is an allergic reaction, since citrus zest is a strong allergen. Therefore, children should be offered delicacies with extreme caution.
A high carbohydrate content makes candied fruits high-calorie, so people who are struggling with excess weight should also be attentive to the amount of sweetness consumed.
In addition, candied oranges (and not only) are contraindicated in people with diabetes.
How to make candied orange at home
If you delve into the etymology of a tasty word, then translated from Latin sucus - juice. In Italy they are called succada, in Germany zukkade, and the Russians simply replaced the letter "d" with "t" in the German word.
Buy candied fruits is not a problem, but to their taste they do not even closely resemble a home-made delicacy. Modern sweets are often dry, coarse fiber and sugary sweet. In addition, the suspiciously bright color of candied fruit indicates the presence of a large number of dyes.
However, there are many ways to make candied orange fruit yourself. Ideally, the peels should be soaked in water for three days, and change the water at least twice a day. Then boil for several more days in syrup: bring the mass to a boil, boil, cool and send back to the stove. For some housewives, multiple heat treatment of citrus is a real hassle, but the results in this case are simply amazing.
But there is one proven method that has long been popular in culinary forums.
So, in order to make candied fruits, it is necessary to fill the prepared orange peels with water and send to the stove. From the moment the liquid boils, it is necessary to boil the crusts for 10 minutes, put it in a colander and cool under cold water.
At the second stage of cooking, you need to again fill the citruses with water, but with the addition of a teaspoon of salt. We repeat the procedure of the first stage.
Pour water again, bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes, put it in a colander and cool under cold water. Prepared orange peels should be chopped randomly.
At the next stage, you need to boil the syrup: dissolve one and a half glasses of sugar in a glass of water. This amount is enough to peel 5 oranges. Citruses should be immersed in boiling syrup and boiled until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. On average, the process will take 30 minutes. In the end you need to add a pinch of citric acid, otherwise candied oranges will turn sugary-sweet.
At the final stage, the treat should be thrown into a colander. Pay attention to the crusts - they are almost transparent, but with a pronounced aroma. After the remains of the syrup are “dug up”, spread the candied fruit on a flat surface and leave to dry. Once they dry, they can be rolled in icing sugar or sand.
Candied orange peels in a slow cooker
After the appearance of a wonderful kitchen device, many housewives breathed a sigh of relief, just throw all the ingredients in the bowl, set the desired mode and go away on their own business.
What to cook from oranges in a slow cooker? Of course, candied fruit! The process itself is easy, and you don’t have to stand near the stove, as in the previous version.
To prepare goodies, randomly chop 300 g of orange peels, fill them with water and put them in the refrigerator for 3 days, not forgetting to change the liquid at least once a day. Transfer the prepared ingredients to the multicooker bowl, fill with a small amount of liquid, set the mode to "Steam cooking", and the timer for 20 minutes. After the beep, flip the peels into a colander and rinse the bowl with water. Transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker again, add 450 g of sugar, pour 300 ml of water and mix. Install the program "Pilaf" or "Cooking Express" and cook before sound notification.
After the signal, the orange peels should be laid out on a flat surface and after 2-3 hours roll in icing sugar.
Everything will be in chocolate
We learned how to make candied orange peels in a classic and express way, now we move on to the next step - we will try to diversify the taste of citrus delicacies with chocolate.
Cut the peel of two oranges into even stripes. Put them in a saucepan and pour 300 ml of water. Bring to a boil, drain the liquid, fill in a new one and repeat the procedure. Next, crusts need to be boiled in syrup (300 g sugar + 300 g water) for an hour. Finished candied fruits need to be laid out on a wire rack to drain excess liquid. During this time, melt the chocolate bar in a water bath. At the final stage, dip each strip into a warm mass, spread on parchment and wait for cooling.
Candied orange pulp
Despite the time-consuming process and the duration of the preparation, the result is worth the effort and time.
Stage 1
Scalp 6 thoroughly washed oranges with boiling water, and then cut the fruit into small blocks so that in each piece there is no more than 1.5 cm of a layer of pulp.
Stage 2.
To remove the bitterness, boil the fruit several times in boiling water. The technology is similar to the previous methods. After several digestions of bitterness, drop the oranges in a colander so that the glass is excess liquid and dry a little.
Stage 3.
For cooking in syrup, you need to fill in 3 cups of water with 400 g of sugar, 2 g of citric acid and optional spices: vanilla for delicate sweetness, cinnamon with star anise for spice and light astringency. After 1.5 hours of cooking, when the oranges become transparent, you need to remove them from the heat and leave them in this form for complete cooling, and only then put them in a colander.
Stage 4.
While candied fruit is a little wet, they need to be crushed in powder, put each slice on parchment and send to dry for half an hour at a temperature of 100 degrees.
What to cook from oranges quickly and tasty
With these recipes you can prepare wonderful drinks, perfect for a feast or friendly gatherings.
What to cook from oranges in the winter? Of course, warming mulled wine. There are many recipes for its preparation, but the version with oranges is considered the most popular and, according to numerous reviews, “cozy”.
To prepare it, pour water (60 ml) into a pan and add cloves (5 pcs.), Nutmeg (pinch), dry ginger (1/2 tsp.), Cinnamon (2 sticks) and cardamom (3 pcs.) Next, add chopped oranges (2 pcs.). Bring the liquid to a boil and boil for another 2 minutes. Pour sugar (2 tbsp. L.) And continue the process until it is completely dissolved. Pour the wine (380 ml) and, stirring constantly, warm the drink to 70 ° C and remember that at this stage mulled wine cannot be brought to a boil. Pour the finished drink into prepared glasses, garnish with slices of oranges and serve hot.
Refreshing drink
What can be made from oranges in the summer? The following recipe for a drink is dedicated to lovers of natural juices, the taste of which does not differ from the store counterpart.
To prepare it, pour 4 oranges with boiling water to remove the bitterness and wax from the fruit, wipe it dry and put it into the freezer overnight. The next day, scroll fruit through a meat grinder. Pour citrus mass with 3 liters of filtered or cold boiled water and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid through a colander, and then several times through a fine sieve. Pour another 6 liters of water into the juice, pour 1 kg of sugar and 30 g of citric acid. Stir until sweet crystals dissolve, pour into prepared bottles and remove for an hour to insist.
Citrus Kvass
Another option for using citrus during a hot summer day is orange kvass. To prepare a refreshing drink, grind 2 oranges with the peel. Add to them 10 g of yeast, 300 g of sugar, 1/3 tsp. citric acid and rub the mass thoroughly. Pour 3.5 liters of water and remove for a day in a warm place. Then strain the drink, bottle and put in the refrigerator.
The benefits of candied orange peels
Now that we have learned what to make from oranges and their peels, it's time to learn about the virtues of this vibrant citrus fruit.
First of all, the benefit lies in the composition. Perhaps there is no person in the world who uses fresh orange peels. Therefore, candied fruit is an opportunity to saturate your body with useful substances that can fight colds.
In addition, orange peel is considered an excellent antidepressant that improves mood and relieves stress.