Recipe: Sriracha Candied Citrus Peels

While it's still looking a lot like winter here in the Midwest, it's citrus season down south! Get your hands on some good, organic citrus and turn the peels into a sweet, tart, spicy treat with 240sweet's Sriracha Sugar!

Sriracha Candied Citrus Peels

Ingredients:

• 4 oranges, 2 grapefruit, or 6 to 8 lemons, limes, or clementines (organic preferred)
• 1½ cups water
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup 240sweet Sriracha Sugar for dredging

Peel your fruit, slicing the peels into quarters to make them easy to work with. Remove as much of the bitter white pith as possible. Place the peels in a large saucepan and fill the pan with cold water, leaving just enough space for it to boil.

Bring the water to a full rolling boil. Scoop out the peels with a slotted spoon and drop them in a bowl of ice water to cool for a minute. Drain and return the peels to the saucepan. This blanching process rids the citrus peel of astringency and tenderizes it. You might want to repeat the boiling and blanching 2-3 times, depending on the thickness of your peels, to achieve the tenderness you prefer. At this point you can slice the peels into thin strips (as in the photo above).

Next, place the peels in a smaller saucepan with 1½ cups water and the granulated sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir to completely dissolve the sugar. Simmer the peels uncovered until the syrup is between 220° and 222°F according to your candy thermometer and the peel is translucent. This will take roughly an hour.

Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to move the peels to a cooling rack set on a baking sheet. Spread the peels out in one layer to cool and dry overnight.

Put the Sriracha Sugar in a bowl and dredge the peels to coat with spicy goodness. Your candied citrus peels will keep for several months in a sealed container in your refrigerator.