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Often, during the process of eating or using citrus, the peel is thrown away. But you can find a more worthy use for it, for example, making candied fruit from grapefruit peels. The dessert turns out aromatic with a pleasant bitterness, which does not spoil the taste, but rather adds a special piquancy to it.
The benefits and harms of candied grapefruit peels
The main concentration of useful elements is in the citrus peel, so it is not removed during processing.
Candied grapefruit contains:
- phytoncides;
- cellulose;
- flavonoids;
- coumarins;
- fatty acid;
- phenols;
- a set of micro and macroelements;
- pectin.
Eating treats lowers cholesterol levels, normalizes metabolic processes, improves gastrointestinal function, and removes toxins
Use with caution in case of diabetes mellitus, with individual intolerance to citrus fruits, gastritis or stomach ulcers.
Selection and preparation of grapefruit peels
For 1 kg there are approximately 3-4 grapefruits. If the fruits are larger, two pieces will be enough. You will get approximately 300 g of crusts (depending on their thickness).In terms of the content of the flavonoid naringin, which imparts bitterness to the zest, all varieties are the same, so the color of the peel does not play a role in the choice of raw materials. The main thing is that the fruits are fresh.
Basic quality requirements:
- the grapefruit must be ripe; unripe grapefruit has a higher concentration of bitterness in the zest;
- the surface is elastic, without soft areas;
- the color is uniform, bright;
- absence of dark spots;
- pronounced aroma.
To prepare the dessert, you need to separate the peel from the pulp. Four longitudinal cuts 3-4 mm deep are made from the top to the area where the stalk was located. Pry off the crust and separate it from the slices. White fibers are removed from the inside; they are also bitter; the residues are removed in the process of preparing the raw materials for processing.
Citrus fruits come in different varieties: red and dark yellow, closer to orange
Recipes for making candied grapefruit peels at home
You can get rid of bitterness in several ways: soak the workpiece, boil it several times in clean or salted water. The finished product is simply sprinkled with sugar or powder and boiled in apple juice or water. To enhance the aroma, add any spice (to taste).
Candied fruits boiled with salt
To make the dessert sweet, without any foreign flavors, salt is used to remove the bitterness from the grapefruit zest.
Components:
- grapefruit – 3 large or 4 medium specimens;
- salt (not iodized) – 4 tsp;
- lemon juice – 1 tsp;
- sugar – 250-300 g;
- water (for syrup) – 250 ml.
Preparation:
- Pour 2 liters of water into the cooking container, add 1 tsp. salt.
- Place the unshaped parts of the grapefruit into the liquid.
- Boil for 10-15 minutes.
- Drain and wash the peel.
- Repeat three times. Set to cook in the same saline solution.
- Allow the workpiece to dry, remove the white fibers from the inside (until they are completely separated from the pulp).
- Cut the peels into approximately 15 mm pieces.
- Combine the water according to the recipe and sugar, boil the syrup.
- Place the citrus preparation in it, boil over low heat, stirring constantly (25-30 minutes). At the end of cooking, add lemon juice.
When the slices have cooled, place them on a tray and sprinkle with sugar. Leave to dry for 5-8 hours.
The product is transparent, dark yellow with a reddish tint.
Candied apple juice with cinnamon
Recipe Ingredients:
- freshly squeezed apple juice – 250-300 ml;
- grapefruits – 1 kg;
- sugar – 300 g;
- cinnamon sticks - to taste.
How to make candied fruits:
- The bitterness from the crusts is removed by soaking the raw materials for two days with periodic replacement of water, or by boiling at least four times for 15 minutes. in saline solution (2 l/1 tsp).
- Divide the peel into small parts.
- Combine juice and sugar. When the syrup boils, add cinnamon.
- Place the workpiece into the boiling mixture and reduce the temperature to a minimum. Stir candied fruits constantly. Boil until the syrup evaporates.
When the workpiece has cooled, place it on a baking sheet or tray and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Leave for eight hours until ready.
Cinnamon will add a spicy aroma to candied fruits; if desired, it can be replaced with a vanilla bean
Candied fruit from soaked grapefruit peels
To get rid of bitterness as much as possible, grapefruit peels are kept in water. The raw materials are poured with cold liquid; it should completely cover the workpiece. To prevent the parts from floating, place the plate bottom down in the water. It should be smaller in volume than the container with crusts.You can place a 0.5 liter jar of liquid or a deep bowl on a plate and fill it with a stream from the tap. After a day, change the water and soak the workpiece for 48 hours.
Before cooking, take out the crust and remove fragments of white fibers from the inner surface.
To prepare candied fruits you will need:
- grapefruit – 3 pcs.
- water – 200 ml;
- sugar – 300 g.
Recipe:
- Liquid is poured into a double bottom pan.
- Put on fire, add sugar, boil until the crystals dissolve.
- Cut the workpiece lengthwise into thin long lines or crosswise, as you wish.
- Grapefruit is placed in syrup and boiled, stirring constantly. During the cutting process, the cutting will release all the moisture and become completely covered with it.
- Reduce the heat to a minimum and boil until the water completely evaporates.
- Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
- Take out the candied fruits and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment to dry.
- Sprinkle sugar or powder on top.
To ensure that the dessert is completely ready, it is left for 6-8 hours.
The dish has a light, pleasant bitterness
Quick candied fruit recipe
Components:
- grapefruit peel – 300 g;
- water – 0.5 l;
- sugar – 700 g.
How to quickly make candied fruits:
- The peels are immediately cut into pieces.
- Boil a 2.5 liter sample four times (10 minutes), changing the water each time.
- Make syrup from 500 g of sugar, boil candied fruits in it (35 minutes).
- After cooling, take out each piece, roll it in the remaining sugar, and lay it out on a flat surface so that the parts do not touch each other.
After three hours, the dessert is ready to eat.
The slices are soft and resemble marmalade in density.
Candied grapefruit peels without sugar
Components:
- grapefruit – 1 kg;
- fructose – 150 g;
- honey (thick) – 100 g;
- water – 250 ml.
Preparing candied fruits:
- Bitterness is removed from grapefruit peel in any convenient way.
- Combine water with sucrose, dip the piece cut into slices into the syrup, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Honey is heated in a steam bath until liquid and each part is dipped into it.
Place the candied fruits on baking paper and leave for 3-4 hours.
The dessert turns out very sweet, it is best served with tea
How to store candied fruits
The finished product is placed in a closed container: a container, a container for bulk products, a glass jar or a paper bag. The main requirement for the storage location is low air humidity, otherwise the parts will stick together and the candied fruits will lose their presentation.
The temperature in the storage area should not be high. Optimal indicator +5-80 C. If there is space in the refrigerator and the container is well closed, place it on a shelf. If the temperature is too high, the pieces will become hard, and if the container is open, insects may get into the dessert.
Conclusion
Candied grapefruit peels are not much different in preparation technology from a similar dessert, for example, from orange, melon or other fruits. The difficulty is that they use the entire peel without removing the zest (top layer). Grapefruit is bitter, so you must first get rid of the unpleasant taste.
