Orangettes

Finding myself, yet again, in the midst of citrus overload, I ventured to find another way to utilize the fruit besides eating them straight and juicing.  Here's what I came up with: gorgeous slivers of bright orange rind candied and made sparkling-sweet with a shake of granulated sugar.  This is definitely a great way to use up the best of what the cold season's got to offer and they make a great gift to any citrus lover you may know.

1 medium-large Navel orange, scrubbed clean
Water
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c water
Sugar

Peel orange just like you would if you were to eat it.  Cut rind into 1/4 inch strips.  Fill small sauce pan with water half way up and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Add rind and simmer for 10 minutes then drain.  Repeat process twice and remove orange rind to a strainer to drain.

Put sugar and water in same pan and bring to a slow boil over medium low heat until slightly thickened, should only take about 10 minutes.  Add processed orange rind and simmer in syrup for 15 minutes.  Drain, reserving syrup for another use.  Allow sugared orange rind to air dry in strainer for at least 1 hour before rolling in regular granulated sugar.  Place on a small parchment/wax paper lined cookie sheet and allow to dry for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).  Store in an air tight container.

At this point, you can either eat them plain or dip them in your choice of chocolate (bitter sweet is best, as the sugar will make the orangettes very sweet).  Haven't done this yet, but will try it soon and show you the photographic evidence very soon.