I had one night in the Putchav Palace in Prague. During my month long adventure in Europe this was the only night I got to myself. No noisy hostel, no semi-clean bed, no shared bathroom (hallelujah!). On my way to the hotel I collected the treats I would eat that night. A fresh piece of pizza, natural carrot/apple juice, a thin slice of fudge and two candied orange slices dipped in chocolate (yes, I have a major sweet tooth).
I flung open the windows in my room to let in the fresh air, there was a light rain coming down. I turned on my favorite relaxing music and filled the enormous bathtub with delightfully hot water. I sat and enjoyed my tasty little treats. The candied oranges were incredible. Tangy and sweet, perfect.
Two hours later I crawled into a clean, fluffy bed. I basked in the silence as I fell asleep and dreamed of candied oranges.
After I got home from the trip cabin fever began to set in. With no new adventures in sight, I had to do something to remind me of my last adventure. Why not make (or try to make) candied oranges?
Let the cooking begin! Sugar, water, oranges and chocolate were all part of my remedy for cabin fever.
I credit the recipe to http://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/grace-parisi if you want to check it out. But here is a quick view:
Pretty simple, right? Don't kid yourself. It takes practice to get them perfect. I ended up making 4 batches of candied oranges and two out of four were good. The other batches were decent but not the best.
(Oranges simmering in the sugar and water mixture)
An extra piece of advice, make sure not to over cook the oranges or you will get a jerky-like texture. The recipe requires the orange peels to simmer for about 10 minutes, It may drive you crazy but don't leave the skillet for more than a minute or two at a time. Until you have practiced the recipe a few times be very attentive to the skillet.
(The finished product)
Ta-da! Candied oranges. Now, to make them extra delicious melt a little but of chocolate to dip the candied oranges in. I prefer dark chocolate but milk chocolate works too.
My favorite part of this delectable treat is that every time I taste it, I think of that night in Prague and every time I share this treat with someone else, I am sharing part of my adventure.
Do you have a favorite treat that you discovered while on an adventure? Share the recipe in the comments so that that everyone can have a little taste of the world.
Sincerely yours, Lady of Adventure
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