the real deal, chocolate covered orange

Make these & make them in bulk.

Do it. Do it now.

Seriously, if you ever had the slightest interest in the combination of chocolate & orange, you're not going to get better than this. Get yourself some good quality chocolate though, like Valrhona or something, & some big, juicy, sweet organic oranges. Maybe even your sugar is organic, who knows. Just, it's amazing.

It's this amazing combination of the chewy, tangy, fresh orange rind which is wonderfully complimented by that creamy, bitter dark chocolate taste & just a hint of vanilla at the end.

Not going to lie, I've eaten about 20 of them already. I've even reserved some of the un-dipped rinds (the sans chocolate ones) which I'll chop up & put into something else, like a cake or something.

The rest? Well, I'm going to have to force myself to wrap them up & give them away as gifts for Christmas otherwise I'll end up consuming the lot!

It's dangerous being me.

Ingredients: (makes a lot!) - 7 large, organic oranges - 1,380g (6 cups) sugar - 500ml (2 cups) water - 1 tsp vanilla bean powder - 375g dark chocolate 80%, finely chopped (double if you want to cover all the strips)

Directions: 1. cut the oranges in half & juice them. (fresh orange juice for the whole family!). Using a spoon, scrape out the flesh from the inside of the orange peel, but leave the peel & pith (the white part) intact. Cut the remaining rind into strips of the desired length & thickness. Don't go too thin with them as you don't want them to be flimsy. 2. place the strips into a large pot & fill with cold water until the rinds are covered. Bring the water to a boil & allow to boil for 5 minutes, drain the water. Repeat this step 3 more times (4 times altogether). Strain the rind strips & set aside. 3. Put the sugar, vanilla bean powder & 500ml of water into the pot & bring to a boil. Once the mixture reaches 120C, add the orange peels back to the pot & reduce the heat down so the mixture simmers. You will want to boil the peels in the sugar mixture until they become translucent, this will take between an hour & an hour & a half. Make sure to check on them every 10 minutes or so & give them a good, but gentle stir. Once the rinds have become translucent, remove the pot from the heat. Be very careful at this point because boiling sugar burns BADLY! 4. using tongs, remove the strips one by one & place them on a wire cooling rack to dry. Make sure the strips do not touch otherwise they will stick together. Also, place a sheet of parchment under the rack as this will make cleanup easier. 5. The strips can take between 30 minutes & 3 days to completely dry, this will depend on the temperature outside & the humidity. You want them to be dry before you dip them in chocolate. 6. Place the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave & melt carefully. Once melted, dip the strips one by one & shake gently to remove excess chocolate. Place the dripped strips onto a piece of parchment until cooled & hardened. The quantity of chocolate recommended will dip half the strips.

Tip: *** this recipe will yield a large quantity, it can easily be halved or doubled without issue. I chose to make a large quantity because it's easy to give as gifts & they will keep without spoiling for several months. *** do not skip the process of boiling the rind in water four times, it needs each & every time to remove the bitterness from the pith.

By the way...

If you're interested in the type of stuff I keep stocked in my kitchen or the equipment that I use regularly... here's a pretty comprehensive list.

Tools/ Equipment/ Machinery/ Ingredients:

Machinery:

Electric Scale - Etekcity - http://amzn.to/2xkKpQk

Hand Mixer - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2xkjowh

Stand Mixer - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2yqXPiH

Candy Thermometer - Etekcity - http://amzn.to/2xklw7k

Food Processor - Cuisinart - http://amzn.to/2xkkZqK

Blender - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2xXQgwU

Tools:

Silicone Spatula - Zyliss - http://amzn.to/2y3Srkw

Chef's Knife 8" - Miyabi - http://amzn.to/2fUtyRK

Pots & Pans:

Cast Iron Skillet 12" - Lodge - http://amzn.to/2fMHb1x Cast Iron Pot 5.5 Quart - La Cocotte Staub - http://amzn.to/2fUqxAG

Cast Iron Grill Skillet 10.5" - Lodge - http://amzn.to/2z2GPwi

Cake tins & Pie Plates:

Bunt Pan - Nordic Ware - http://amzn.to/2xjGB1N

Square Cake Tin - Patisse - http://amzn.to/2xkn5Ce

Springform cake tin 22cm (9”) - Farberware - http://amzn.to/2xkdQ4T

Ceramic Pie Plate- Emile Henry - http://amzn.to/2gex5qR

Cupcake Tin - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2xkp4GG

Tart Tin Loose Bottom 9.5” - Patisse - http://amzn.to/2xje3u2

Decorating Equipment:

Non-Slip Pipping Bags - Pastry Gear - http://amzn.to/2fLxAZ0

Pipping Tips - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2yJVPy1

Food Gels - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2kpOCky

Fondant Smoother - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2xkyZRl

Fondant Modelling Tools - Happisland - http://amzn.to/2xjOWSV Fondant Rolling Pin - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2xkbLe5

Fondant Rolling Mat - The Mat - http://amzn.to/2y2bg76

Ingredients:

Active Dry Yeast - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2gcC2R4

Almond Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xkP3xI

Arrow root - Bob’s Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2ycT0WF

Baking Powder - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xkJz5U

Bicarbonate of Soda - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2yL7Lj4

Brown Rice Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2z1MUt1

Buckwheat Flour - Anthony’s Organic - http://amzn.to/2xjRS6T

Cocoa Powder - Valrhona - https://amzn.to/2ouIwlr Coconut Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xkAHNX

Flaxseed Meel - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2ybK0Rm

Millet flour - Bob’s Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2iBZqYw

Oat Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2fNUuyZ

Potato Starch - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2yKpYgH

Quinoa Flour - Amisa Organic - https://amzn.to/2oyWVg9 Sorghum Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2yClSf5 Sweet White Rice Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2y2xmXK

Tapioca Starch - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xjv879

Vanilla Extract Organic - Simply Organic - http://amzn.to/2xXdt2e

Vanilla Beans - Vanilla Products - http://amzn.to/2yLMqWQ

White Flour GF - Dove's Farm - http://amzn.to/2z1b5I1​

Xanthan Gum - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2zoYxuC

*** Bikes & Baking are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com & affiliated sites.

#tools #equipment #machinery #baking #cooking #fondant #modelingtools