Right now, I'm sitting at our kitchen table covered in years worth of stories scribbled accidentally, stains, and scratches that etch it with memories, typing words while listening to the Swinging Christmas Station on Pandora. We've spent the day decorating the inside (my siblings must have made at least fifteen candycanes to adorn our cabinets and countless snowflakes hang from our walls) and I'm in the middle of making Christmas sweets that won't last until the first of December. (hey, I'll be glad if they last until tomorrow)
I've always been a lover of sugar. I'm not a fan of cheap candies, you know, the Hershey's bars and fun-size Snickers (although, I won't turn away a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. We all have our weaknesses). I want the good stuff. The melt in your mouth chocolates and candy sticky with sugar and the homemade caramels slowly spreading in buttery waves. The candy that's oh-so-bad-for-you but tastes like a million bucks (although, I've never tasted a million bucks, I'm sure that's what it tastes like. Trust me on this one) and you can't help yourself from reaching for just one more truffle. Chocolate's one of the major food groups, right?
Wait. Don't tell me, I don't want to know.
When I was littler, and it was just my sisters and I, we'd often go down to this charming town by the water with my parents and grandparents and spend the day browsing the streets. One of my favorite shops to peruse was this old-fashioned candy store that looked as if it came out when my grandpa was a boy. They had all manner of sweets and delicious treats to tempt you, and I remember staring longingly at the rows and rows of candies in glass jars, hoping somehow for all of them. Like I said before, I love sugar. One of my favorite treats was a chocolate covered orange. There was something about that sugary, chewy piece of orange coated in rich chocolate. And there still is.
I'm lucky enough to have a sister who subscribes to Food Network Magazine. As a result, I get to read all of the issues that come in, and I was so excited when the December issue came with a booklet of fifty holiday favors -- all of course being sweets. So when I saw the orangettes, I knew I had to make them (along with the other forty-nine delicious delicacies. redundant? maybe. but so true) They weren't difficult to make, but they were definitely time-consuming. It took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare them, and then they had to cool for eight hours before I could dip them in chocolate.
Overall though, it was so worth it. I think I'll whip up another batch today.
Chocolate Orangettes
recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine
Ingredients
1 orange
1 cup sugar + extra to toss in
around 1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet Chocolate
Directions
Slice the ends off the orange and score the peel without cutting into the fruit. Remove the peel and cut the rind into strips. Boil the strips in water for about 15 minutes, then drain and rinse. Whisk one cup sugar and one cup water in a saucepan and add the orange peels. Cook until soft, about 45 minutes, at a simmer. Drain and toss lightly in sugar, and transfer to a rack to dry for 8 hours. Dip in or drizzle with melted semisweet chocolate and let harden. Then enjoy and wish you made more.
I put mine in the freezer for about half an hour after drizzling with chocolate, because I like them chilled. Make sure to toss them lightly with sugar, because you want them to be dusted, not drowning. I ended up spooning chocolate on mine, versus dipping them, so it wasn't as smooth as I had hoped, but that's okay. Next time, I'm going to whip up a big bowl of melted chocolate and completely immerse them, then eat the leftover chocolate with a spoon.
Pretend you didn't just hear that. And then go make some chocolate orangettes. They're so worth it.
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