Candied orange peel has to be one of the easiest things to make at home. Here I have a recipe using fructose.
In 1994, South Africa was at the brink of a civil war. People were being killed for the colour of their skin, their political affiliation, or their ethnic background. Car bombs were going off in Johannesburg. Banks, the airport, restaurants and even Churches and the people in them were targets and yet on the 27th of April, a country united to stand together to vote for the amazing democracy we have. Not once during that time did I feel scared. I had caught the underground in London when the IRA were bombing them, and that did not scare me. I have been in Israel when the threat of suicide bombers was an everyday occurrence, and I was not scared. But this past Friday night I was scared! Somerset West experienced flash flooding. If you have never witnessed first hand what a flash flood does, then you cannot relate. I have seen them on television and held my breath watching the devastation. A friend of mine was badly injured in an accident that happened during a flash flood, and still, it means nothing until you are there, in the water!
photograph via News24
Dave called me just before 18h00 to say that he would not get home in time for us to be collected, as Victoria Road, the main road leading into Somerset West, was closed off and the roads were blocked. We were going out for dinner and I got our friends to fetch me 15 minutes earlier than we had planned. We drove through to Strand and the roads were fairly flooded, but ordinary cars could still navigate their way through them. We had to take a few detours to the restaurant as Victoria road would have been the easiest route for us. The next ‘easy’ road was also blocked due to the storm. We finally arrived at the restaurant and enjoyed our evening. We then headed back the way we had come to return to our offices to collect Dave’s car. We were directed down to Bridgewater, away from the hospital which was the way we had come. The hospital was flooded and evacuation of 129 patients was underway, with the National Sea Rescue Institute being called in to assist. Our next detour proved to be futile. Due to the floods the area experienced in August, storm water drains are busy being put into Bridgewater. One of the drainage pipes had ‘swum’ across the road and blocked our route out. We turned down a road, and that is when I realized how bad the flood was! We were in a 4×4 and with the ride height raised, the water was still up to our windows. I was scared. There was no way the driver could see if anything was in the road. We could have hit a car, an animal, a manhole, in fact anything. But we were lucky and we managed to get out of the flooded roads and headed uphill. We collected Dave’s car and found that the N2 heading home was closed off. Another detour down Main road and again, another road blocked off. We eventually got home – our 20 minute drive taking us 70 minutes. We escaped the river that burst its banks and at home there is barely evidence it has rained. But many people have been affected by the scariest thing I have ever witnessed!
One thing I am not scared of is making candied orange peel. It is simple and results in an ingredient that is extremely versatile. This is not the first time I have made candied peel, but it is the first time I have boiled away the bitterness from the peel before the candying process.
have you ever been in a flash flood?
Candied Orange Peel
Ingredients
- 2 oranges peeled, pith removed and cut into thin strips
- 168 g fructose
- 250 mls water plus extra for boiling
Method
- Place the orange peel into a sauce pan and cover with cold water
- Bring to a boil and strain
- Repeat twice more to remove the bitter taste
- Place the peel back into the saucepan with the fructose and the water
- Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour
- Strain the sugar syrup, reserving it for use in sorbets, etc.
- Place the orange peel onto a wire rack to cool
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
What I blogged:
-
- one year ago – Interview with Justine Drake
- two years ago – Chocolate Brownies
- three years ago – Chicken And Corn Hunter Style
Mother nature is really mad with the world – it is horrible to see what is happening here at home in South Africa as well as the rest of the world.
Your candy peel looks lovely – something I have never made before.
Have a super week ahead.
🙂 Mandy xo
It is so easy to make, and nice to have on hand!
This is a scary story. I am afraid I’d freak out if I were you.
I nearly did!
My friend, that sounds so scary! I have seen flash floods in Queensland but it has never sounded as horrifying as your experience – thank god you are safe!
I hope everything dries us soon and people can put this behind them!
On a nicer note, loving your candied peel recipe 🙂
Cheers
CCU
Thankfully we have had no rain since then and next time I will be sure to stay home!
I am so happy that you are fine, Tandi.
Thank you so much!
Thank goodness you made it safely home and that it was untouched by the flooding. I love candied orange peel but have never made it myself…yours looks beautifully done.
Thank you Karen, this is so easy to make 🙂
Such devastation in such a short time, we watched via social media as we were away (and very dry) for the weekend. Glad you made it home safety. I made candied orange peel so very long ago, smothered it in chocolate if I remember correctly. Makes sense.
Smothered in chocolate …. yum! If we had not been in it I would not have believed the photos we saw on facebook!
Oh, lovely Tandy, I’m so glad you came through okay. I’ve been in a couple of flood adventures, but none quite so scary as yours! Very intense indeed. The peel, on the other hand, sounds intensely *nice* and tasty, so I will try your recipe next time I make some candied peel! Thanks.
Kathryn
Please let me know how it works out when you try it 🙂
I’ve never been in a flash flood but I can imagine how terrifying it would be! I’ve never made candied orange peel but I think I’d much rather that 🙂
I would rather be in my kitchen that in a storm!
Scary experience!
I can’t wait to try to make orange peel – I’ve always wanted to try it but never got around to it. This Christmas!
Thanks for the visit Milana, and please let me know how your candied peel works out!
I’ve never been in a flash flood but do love candied orange peel!
It is easy to love candied peel!
Really nobody knows what anything feels like, until they have experianced it–really sorry you had to, however glad that you all came out of it safe. Love this recipe for candied orange peel
Thank you Usha – it is such a true sentiment that we cannot know another person’s experiences unless we have experienced them ourselves 🙂
Goodness, I’m glad you’re ok, Tandy! We had flooding around here a year or so ago – streets under water. It was scary stuff, but not with a rushing torrent, which I imagine must have been immensely more frightening! xx PS. Love the candied rind!
I am grateful it was not near my house!