Island Bites: Home(made) for the Holidays

For me, there’s something deeply satisfying about giving people homemade presents during the holiday season. Take canned tomatoes for example. Although I spend almost an entire weekend preparing them every September, they’re now readily available as presents for everyone from the mailman to my mother. Homemade gifts like this have a little extra spiritual heft, more than, say, a new toaster oven or set of steak knives. Also, the “thought that counts” factor is much higher. There are numerous items you can prepare in the weeks leading up to the holidays, which will in turn give you more free time. Of course, you’ll want to keep it simple. The majority of the presents my husband and I make only require a few ingredients, and most have a shelf life of at least a month. And, everything the recipe calls for can easily be found in the supermarket.

Candied citrus peels are another great example and one of my favorite things to give as presents. They have a festive appearance and look great when placed in jars or clear cellophane paper tied with a colored ribbon. And the sweet, slightly bitter flavor makes them an excellent dessert or accompaniment to a cup of tea. Chopped into small pieces, citrus peels also make an excellent garnish for cookies, cakes or even a holiday ham. Making citrus peels is really simple and requires only a small amount of preparation. When drying them out, though, it’s important to keep them out of reach of any pets or prying house guests. They need a good 24 hours to dry, so make sure you secure a place for this in advance.

Bon appétit (and happy holidays)!

Candied Citrus Peels

(For about three small jars)

Peels of 2 grapefruits, cut into ½ inch strips

Peels of 2 oranges, cut into ½ inch strips

Peels of 3 large limes, cut into ½ inch strips

One large pot boiling water

Separate pot of 6 parts water to one part granulated sugar

2 cups granulated sugar

Bring a large pot of water to boil. In a separate saucepan, bring six cups water and one cup of the sugar to a boil. Lower to a simmer. Remove any stickers from fruit. With a vegetable peeler, peel each piece of fruit and cut peels into uniform slices of about ½ inch. Add peels into large pot of boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer peels to simmering sugar water and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. In batches, transfer peels to a plate containing the other cup of sugar. Using your hands, coat peels in sugar and place on a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let dry for at least 24 hours. Package in your favorite gift wrapping.

Chef’s note: You can also use peels from other fruits such as blood orange, tangerine, lemon or ruby red grapefruit.