To Accompany your Champagne

Sally and I had a champagne party to go to last weekend and when it came to deciding what to bring, we were at a loss.  We needed something classy (to go along with the champagne), something pretty (to match all the formal-wear), and something light (the party didn't start til 10pm).  Chocolate covered strawberries would have been perfect, but strawberries are out of season and expensive.  Luckily, during our weekly trip to the Farmer's Market, Sally and I spotted a fruit that would make a great alternative: oranges.

Now, chocolate covered oranges aren't particularly classy or pretty, though I would suppose they would be considered light finger food.  Chocolate covered candied orange peel, on the other hand...

 Begin by peeling the orange, leaving on as much of the pith as possible.  Sally and I made this easier by slicing the top and bottom off the orange and dividing it into six sections before peeling.

Cut the orange peel into 1/4 inch wide strips.  Sally wishes to remind you that when she says 1/4 inch, she means 1/4 inch, not the 1/8 inch strips I ended up cutting.

Blanche the orange peels to get rid of the bitter taste. 

Let the orange peel simmer in a mixture of sugar and water until translucent (about 1 hour) and avoid stirring.

Remove orange peels and leave them to dry on a drying rack.  Use a cookie sheet under the rack to catch any drips.  Try and separate each peel so they are not touching - otherwise they'll be stuck together. 

If you don't have a drying rack (or don't have enough space on your drying rack), improvise!  I used a row of three chopsticks here.  Then get ready for a lot of waiting... it took 2 days for our orange peels to dry.    You'll know when they're dry by the hardness (they won't be as floppy) and the white sugar crystals you can see in the above picture.

Time to dip them in chocolate! Leave them to dry on a drying rack or propped up against the rim of a cookie tin, like you see here.

Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Peel
adapted from Bon Appetit here
Ingredients
2 navel oranges
3 cups sugar
3 cups water
4 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet or dark chocolate
Directions
1. Peel orange, retaining as much pith as possible.  Cut orange peel into 1/4 inch wide slices.
2. Blanche orange three times: place orange peels in pot.  Fill with enough cold water to cover.  Place pot on stove and heat water until boiling.  Drain water and rinse orange peels with cold water.  Repeat twice.
3. Remove orange peels from pot and set aside.  Add 3 cups water and 3 cups sugar to pot, heat until boiling.  Add peel, bring to a boil.  Lower heat until water simmers, wait until peel turns translucent (~1 hour).
4. Drain water and separate out orange peels on drying rack.  Leave until completely dry (~2 days).
5. Heat chocolate over double boiler or in microwave, until melted.  Dip orange peel into chocolate and lay out to dry (~2 hours).