Citrus crunch


Citrus crunch
These are fine crumbs of candied citrus peel. It can be used to sprinkle a dessert or other preparation to add both crunch and the flavour of the chosen citrus fruit. It is easy to prepare well in advance, and will keep in an airtight jar. This recipe is given for clementines, but can be made with all citrus fruits: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit...
249 K 3.9/5 (25 reviews)
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Last modified on: February 2nd 2016
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For 50 g, you will need:

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 40 min.
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 1 hour 20 min.
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 20 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 1
Take 3 clementines, organic if possible.

Scrub fruit thoroughly, dry them, then with a very sharp knife cut off as much zest as you can.

Stage 2
Citrus crunch : Stage 2
The goal is to remove the zest, leaving the white pith on the fruit as far as possible. This pith is responsible for the bitterness.

Another possible technique is to use a peeler, but it must very be very sharp.

Stage 3
Citrus crunch : Stage 3
Continue like this for all the clementines, which you can then use for another recipe, or eat.

Stage 4
Citrus crunch : Stage 4
The volume of peel is quite small, but this is normal.

Stage 5 - ⌛ 5 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 5
Put 100 g caster sugar and 50 ml water in a pan, heat to dissolve.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 1 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 6
Then add the clementine peel.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 10 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 7
Reduce over medium heat, until obtaining a thick syrup around the peel.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 3 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 8
Pour peel and syrup onto a rack (or into a chinois or a strainer) to drain them.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 30 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 9
Lay them on a baking sheet, then put in the oven at 130°C or 266°F for about 30 minutes.

The goal is to dry the peel to make it crunchy, not to cook it any further.

Stage 10 - ⌛ 2 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 10
At the end of 30 minutes, allow to cool, then tip the peel onto your work surface. At this point you can remove any excess sugar.

Stage 11 - ⌛ 5 min.
Citrus crunch : Stage 11
Then crush with a rolling pin, more or less finely according to taste.

Stage 12
Citrus crunch : Stage 12
You should obtain crumbs, still with a few small pieces, not too fine.

Stage 13
Citrus crunch : Stage 13
Keep in an airtight jar.
Remarks
This powder is used on desserts to which you want to give a "lift" (the tang of citrus) and add crunch, like Chaud-froid of grapefruit-pineapple, Fruits with sabayon, or Poelée de petits fruits au sabayon gratiné. But even on a simple ice-cream, the effect is striking.

As it can be prepared in advance and stored, you can prepare several varieties, and powder your desserts with several flavours.

I advise you to use organic fruit, because it's the peel which is used in this recipe, and that's first in line to pick up all the chemical treatments applied to the fruit...
Keeping: Several months in a jar.
Source: From chef Michel Bras, via famous teacher Hervé This (only great people...).
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe2 RDI=1 %130 RDI=10 %0520 RDI=30 %2,170 RDI: 30 %
Per 100 g030 RDI=3 %0110 RDI=6 %480 RDI: 6 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
How much will it cost?
  • For 50 g : 2.50 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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