Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.
Last modified on: June 21th 2017
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
So, if you enjoy them and you want to make a recipe that asks for them, you will probably go to buy them in a supermarket. If you do, you may well find a temptingly priced tub or packet of gaudily coloured little cubes labelled "candied fruit" or "rainbow mix" that looks like this:
But there's a (big) problem here: these sweet little dice are anything but genuine candied fruit. At best they might be melon; at worst, turnip or swede that has had its flavour chemically neutralised before being dyed and sweetened. The real scandal is that they can be sold as "candied fruit". If you read the label – in very small print, of course – you will see that the first ingredient in the list is "Turnip"…
Industrial cakes and desserts "with candied fruit” contain tons of this stuff, and they usually taste pretty dreadful. The only flavour in these coloured bits is their sweetness.
True candied fruits, worthy of the name, can be any of a whole variety of real fruit left to soak up sugar in a lengthy process: oranges, lemons, angelica, other citrus fruit, cherries, strawberries, etc. Recipes shouldn't just say "add the dried fruit", but should specify (for example) "add the candied orange peel, cut into small dice". This is more expensive, obviously, but quality and flavour come at a price.
Let's not forget that in France, like in Italy and Greece, candied fruits are a real tradition and the skilled craft of preparing them is still alive and well, notably in Provence.
So, can you make your own candied fruit at home? Replying in the great tradition of French diplomacy, I would say, "well, yes and no". No, because it is a lengthy and complicated process which demands real artisan's skills. But, on the other hand, it is fairly easy to prepare the delightful little treats known as "orangettes", made from strips of orange peel (or you can use grapefruit). It takes rather a long time, but the results are well worth it. You can see how to do it here.
To sum up: if you want to use candied fruit in a recipe, leave the awful industrial diced turnip on the shelf. Dig a little deeper into your pocket and opt for high-quality artisanal candied fruit, which you can always dice yourself.
But there's a (big) problem here: these sweet little dice are anything but genuine candied fruit. At best they might be melon; at worst, turnip or swede that has had its flavour chemically neutralised before being dyed and sweetened. The real scandal is that they can be sold as "candied fruit". If you read the label – in very small print, of course – you will see that the first ingredient in the list is "Turnip"…
Industrial cakes and desserts "with candied fruit” contain tons of this stuff, and they usually taste pretty dreadful. The only flavour in these coloured bits is their sweetness.
True candied fruits, worthy of the name, can be any of a whole variety of real fruit left to soak up sugar in a lengthy process: oranges, lemons, angelica, other citrus fruit, cherries, strawberries, etc. Recipes shouldn't just say "add the dried fruit", but should specify (for example) "add the candied orange peel, cut into small dice". This is more expensive, obviously, but quality and flavour come at a price.
Let's not forget that in France, like in Italy and Greece, candied fruits are a real tradition and the skilled craft of preparing them is still alive and well, notably in Provence.
So, can you make your own candied fruit at home? Replying in the great tradition of French diplomacy, I would say, "well, yes and no". No, because it is a lengthy and complicated process which demands real artisan's skills. But, on the other hand, it is fairly easy to prepare the delightful little treats known as "orangettes", made from strips of orange peel (or you can use grapefruit). It takes rather a long time, but the results are well worth it. You can see how to do it here.
To sum up: if you want to use candied fruit in a recipe, leave the awful industrial diced turnip on the shelf. Dig a little deeper into your pocket and opt for high-quality artisanal candied fruit, which you can always dice yourself.
Lasts posts
Your oven in "proofer" mode
In the bakery, proofing is a crucial stage in the process of making light, plump breads and pastries. During proofing, the yeast ferments the sugars present in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide which forms bubbles. This process allows the dough to swell and aerate, guaranteeing a soft, light...September 27th 20243,1395
The right size of zucchini
When you buy zucchini at the market, you're often offered a wide variety of sizes, from very small to very large. But which ones to choose? Here are a few tips.September 9th 20243,4805
The (small) miracle of béchamel sauce
Making a béchamel sauce is going to confront you with a little miracle that happens every time: You pour milk over a roux, it's very liquid, you stir over a low heat, and then all of a sudden, miracle, the sauce sets, it thickens, you've got your béchamel. Let's see what happened.August 27th 20243,9394
Pastry doughs
To make a classic tart, you'll need a pastry of course, and if you don't use puff pastry (normally reserved for "fine", in french, tarts), you'll have a choice of shortcrust, shortbread, sweetcrust or "à foncer". Let's take a look at the differences between these four.August 16th 20244,0154.4
A few tips on homemade ice cream
If you make ice cream at home, which is a very, very good idea, you'll find a few tips and tricks in this article that should make your life easier. Combined with the site's ice cream recipes, they'll help you improve your production, to the delight of everyone around you, children first.August 11th 20244,0585
Other pages you may also like
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .February 7th 2017123 K 14.1
A few tips for effective kneading at home
When you have to knead dough for bread or some other recipe, you may well use a food processor or the type of machine known as a stand mixer. The best-known brands are Kenwood and KitchenAid. They are useful tools, but here are a few tips to help you get the best out of them.June 23th 2021272 K 23.7
Egg yolks and caster sugar
We often come across recipes where we need to mix egg yolks with caster sugar. This would appear to be a very ordinary and simple thing to do but, be warned, these two ingredients can behave oddly together.February 15th 201875 K 24.3
The golden-brown finish on puff pastry
Let's take a look at the tricky matter of producing puff pastry with an attractive, golden-brown finish. French pastry chefs call this "dorure" (literally, "gilding"). Behind this quirky term there lurks a real problem (and the solution): when using puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) for a pie, or...February 8th 201842 K 24.6
Cleaning endives
If you buy your endives elsewhere than in supermarkets, and in this case the best is of course from a market gardener, he or she is the one who planted and harvested them, in this case you will have endives full of earth or sand, depending on where they were grown, which is normal and reassuring, we...March 24th 202020 K4.6
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 2 comments already posted on this page