Best Sugared Lemon Zest Recipes

EASY CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• With a sharp vegetable peeler, cut long strips of zest from lemons, being sure not to take any of the bitter white pith. Slice the strips into ⅛-inch-thick strands.
• Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan; add the zest and simmer until translucent, about 20 min. Remove from heat and let cool in the syrup.
• Strain zest and use for garnish. Use the syrup in drinks or on pancakes. You can refrigerate both for 2 weeks.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Remove zest from lemons with a vegetable peeler, keeping pieces long. Remove white pith using a paring knife. Cut into a fine julienne using a very sharp knife. Place julienned zest in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes; drain.
• Bring sugar and the cool water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When sugar is completely dissolved, add julienned zest, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight.

CANDIED LEMON PEEL

Steps:

• Cut lemons into slices about 1/4 inch thick and remove the fruit pulp. Cut the rings in half so the peels are in long strips.
• Bring water and lemon peel to a boil in a small pan. Drain water, and repeat with fresh cold water. Repeat the boiling step three times (see Editor's Note). Drain and set peels aside.
• Combine 2 cups fresh water with 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to low and stir in citrus peels; simmer until the white pith is translucent. Store peels in syrup, refrigerated, to keep them soft, or allow them to dry. Toss dry candied peels in additional sugar and store airtight at room temperature.

SUGARED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, remove zest from lemons in wide strips. Trim away white pith from underside of zest. Slice zest into 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick strips, each about 2 inches long.
• Place zest in a saucepan, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then strain, reserving zest. Repeat boiling and straining two more times.
• Return zest to pan, and add granulated sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until zest is almost translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain, gently shaking zest to remove as much syrup as possible.
• Place sanding sugar in a medium bowl. Toss zest in sugar to coat. Shake off excess sugar, and carefully transfer zest to a wire rack to dry for 5 minutes. Shake off any remaining excess sugar, and continue to dry on rack for 25 minutes more.

HOMEMADE LEMONADE

Steps:

• Remove the zest from 2 lemons in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, then juice enough lemons to make 2 cups. Refrigerate the juice.
• Combine the sugar, lemon zest and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• Remove the lemon zest from the syrup. Pour 3 cups cold water and the lemon juice into the pitcher and stir. Remove 1 cup of the lemonade to a bowl and add 3 cups water. Divide the watered-down lemonade mixture between 2 ice cube trays and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Refrigerate the pitcher of lemonade until ready to serve.
• Add some lemonade ice cubes to the pitcher along with a few lemon slices. Serve in cups with the remaining lemonade ice cubes.

LEMON SUGAR

Steps:

• Using a citrus zester, remove the zest. (Alternatively, using a paring knife or a vegetable peeler, remove the zest; then scrape as much of the bitter white pith off it as possible.) Roughly chop zest; transfer to a food processor, and add 1 cup sugar. Pulse until zest has been finely ground, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the ground mixture to a medium bowl. Add remaining cup sugar, and toss until evenly mixed.
• Spread the lemon sugar on a baking pan, and let sit at room temperature until dry, about 1 hour.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons, keeping the strips as long as possible. Use a paring knife to remove the bitter white pith from the zest, and discard. Using a sharp chef's knife, finely julienne the strips of zest, and then place them in a small bowl. Cover the zest with boiling water; let stand for 30 minutes, then drain.
• Heat the sugar and cool water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, then add the julienned zest. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight. Remove the zest, and drain on wire rack. Roll the zest in the sugar. Dry on a wire rack. The zest can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

CANDIED LEMON ZEST FOR DESSERTS

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel zest from lemons. Use a knife to remove any white pith; cut zest as thinly as possible.
• Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add zest; blanch for 1 minute, drain, and rinse under cold water.
• In another medium saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water; bring to a simmer. Cook until sugar dissolves completely, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest. Simmer until translucent, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat; let zest cool in syrup. When cool, transfer zest and syrup to an airtight plastic container.

CANDIED CITRUS ZEST

Steps:

• Cut the citrus into wedges and remove the flesh. Use a sharp paring knife to remove as much white pith as possible from the peels. Reserve and use the insides of the fruits for juice or another use.
• Place all the peels in a 2-quart saucepan. Cover the peels with water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and drain. Set the peels aside.
• Add the sugar, honey, and 1 1/2 cups (354ml) water to the empty pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook to dissolve all the sugar, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Add the reserved peels to the sugar syrup and reduce the heat to low; gently simmer until the syrup registers 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer or until the peels are bright and translucent looking. Stir the peels frequently. This should take about 1 hour. You do not want to caramelize the sugar at all, so keep the flame low and cook slowly. If the syrup begins to thicken before the peels have cooked through, you may need to add a touch more water to the pan during the cook time to slow down the candying process a bit.
• Cool the peels in the syrup until they reach room temperature. From here you can go in two different directions: you can store the candied peels in an airtight container in the syrup to keep it soft and hydrated. Alternately, you can dredge the peels in granulated sugar and set them on a wire rack overnight to create a dried candied zest confection. The sugared zest can then be stored at room temperature for months and months.