Sun Dried Orange Peel - for Tagines, Daubes and Sweet Things!

French Tart's Note:

I always dry at least a kilo of orange peel during the summer months - and that keeps me right through until next year. This is not so much a recipe as a technique, but it is so useful to have a jar of this in your pantry throughout the drear winter months. I use this dried peel in daubes, tagines, stews, curries, marinades, desserts, cakes and baking. It really does not take that long to dry in direct sunshine - and the quicker it dries, the more intense the orange aroma and the higher the oil content. A great by-product of oranges, and a part that is normally thrown away!

• Total Time: 6 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• fresh orange , wiped clean
• greaseproof paper

Directions:

1. Peel the oranges with a swivel head potato or vegetable peeler, or use a special zester.
2. Try to peel into long strips, and do not peel the bitter white pith, under the skin.
3. Lay the peel out onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Cover with an umbrella fly cover and place outside in direct sunshine.
4. Leave for about 6 hours; the peel will curl up and shrivel when it is totally dried - it should feel hard and crisp.
5. Store in an airtight container in a dark place for up to one year.
6. Use in cakes, scones, muffins, cookies, daubes, stews, curries, casseroles, marinades, sauces, sugars and all manner of things!

Reviews

[**Tinkerbell**]

Yay! We've had two good days of sun and now I have a jar full of fresh dried orange peel! I love this recipe; couldn't be easier & a great learning experience for DD. She learned about how the heat of the sun evaporates moisture from the orange peel. How it and water makes the oranges grow, but without water the orange will dry out. :) This was a lot of fun for us, FT! Thanks for sharing it. Made & enjoyed for the Spain & Portugal Forum's June 2010 Oranges! event.

[Chef PotPie]

Why didn't I think of this?! Frenchy, my dahlink, you are a genius! I had 15 oranges, bought with a coupon for 38 cents per pound, YAY! I used my zesting tool, put the zest in my dehydrator on 130, and in 2 hours, voila! I will NEVER spend $$ on this in the spice section again. And I do use orange zest often. You saved me $$$$$! Thanks for yet another fabulous recipe!