A simple little winter treat, to make use of the wonderful oranges available this time of year. Use to garnish desserts, or to serve alone, as a little something at the end of a special meal. There are a few steps to this, but none of them difficult. The first time I ever made these was after a cousin, wearing a headband and groovy bellbottoms, had come to visit, and had a bag of these yummy morsels in her pack to share.

Ingredients

3 oranges (with unblemished peel)

1 c sugar

3 T white corn syrup

¾ c water

Sugar for dusting

Directions

Using a paring knife, pare off wide strips of the peel from the stem end to the blossom end of each orange, trying to get mostly just peel and not too much pith.

Put in a medium sized saucepan and just cover with cold water.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.

Drain, re-cover with cold water, bring back to a boil, and simmer until tender, about another 20-30 minutes.

Drain, and rinse with cold water.

Remove any pith by gently scraping it away with the side of a spoon.

Cut the wide strips into ¼” wide strips, trimming off any ragged edges.

In a heavy saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup, and water.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Use a pastry brush, which has been dipped in water, to wipe down the sides of the pot, to stop any sugar bits from crystallizing.

Once the sugar is dissolved, add in the cut peel.

Continue to cook over low heat until the peel has absorbed most of the syrup. This can take up to two hours.

Remove from heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 6 hours, or overnight.

Bring back to a simmer, to thin the syrup, let cool slightly and drain.

On a large parchment lined baking sheet, or just on a clean tea towel on a work surface, spread about 1 cup of sugar. You might need a bit more, but start with a cup.

Spread the cooked, drained peel over the sugar, and lightly toss with your fingers, to separate the strands, allowing them to totally get dusted with the sugar.

Put the strands on a lined baking sheet, or clean towel, to dry for 2 hours.

Store separated by wax paper in layers, in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

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