Caramelised Lemon Slices and Candied Lemon Peel

Start to prepare the caramelised lemon slices. Remove the tops and bottoms of the lemons and then cut them into slices about 5 mm thick. Using a pair of tweezers, remove all the pips.

Place the lemon slices in a wide high-sided saucepan and add the sugar. Place the pan on the heat and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes. If the cooking liquid dries up too much, add a couple of spoons of water. At this point, the caramelised lemon slices are ready. Transfer them to a dish and leave to cool.

Now proceed to make the candied lemon peel. Remove the tops and bottoms of the lemons and cut them into four quarters. Using a knife, remove the peel.

Now, finish cutting the lemon peel into matchstick shapes of the same size. Place the lemon peel in a pan with water and bring to the boil. Boil the peel for 5 minutes, strain and repeat this operation two more times.

Transfer the lemon peel to a wide low-sided pan and add the sugar and water.

Place the lemon peel on the heat and leave it to simmer until the cooking liquid has entirely evaporated into a syrup. Now place the lemon peel on a sheet of greaseproof or brown paper.

Add the sugar to the lemon peel, taking care to cover the pieces on all sides, then leave to rest at room temperature for about 24 hours.

Useful tips and interesting facts

The purpose of boiling the lemon peel three times is to eliminate the bitter taste of citrus pith. This step is essential to obtain candied peel that is soft and sweet. If you prefer your caramelised lemon slices and candied peel to have an attractive dark colour, use brown sugar instead of white.

Store the caramelised lemon slices in a glass jar covered with their cooking syrup and the candied lemon peel in hermetically sealed glass jars. Both products may be used for cake-making. In the case of candied lemon peel, you have a sweet and healthy snack ready for eating. The caramelised lemon slices are excellent for using as a garnish for hot beverages such as teas, infusions and herbal teas.

Variants

The same method may also be used for oranges, citrons and bergamots.