Candied Lemon Peel

What finally pushed me over the edge was the Candied Lemon Sage Tea Cake I am working on. To give it an over-the-top lemon flavor and a little texture besides, it needed chopped candied lemon peel. I made a double batch, so I will also be trying it out in Candied Lemon Brown Butter Friands and Candied Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies over the next week. I'm sure there are dozens of uses for it.

Now that I've gone down this path, I can see that I will have to keep the LunaCafe OtherWorldly Kitchen stocked with candied lemon peel from now on. It's simply incomparable with a cup of tea or espresso. So much sensational flavor in such a tiny, guilt-free bite.

Everyone suggests dipping the peels in chocolate, but I can't imagine why. I love them plain, with only a dusting of sugar to alleviate any remaining stickiness.

15 minutes. Perhaps lemons vary in peel tenderness from region to region, but

15 minutes didn't even come close to tenderizing my lemon peels. In fact, an hour was barely sufficient, and in addition to that hour, I also blanched the peels for 6 minutes before immersing them in the syrup. The rule here should be "until tender to the tooth."

Next up: Candied Lemon Sage Tea Cake. I'm going to have another slice right now. Maybe I'll make a pot of tea first.

Candied Lemon Peel

4 large, firm, organic lemons, ends trimmed

2 cups sugar

2 cups water