Chocolate Covered Orange Peel

Ingredients

3ea     Navel Oranges

3T       Karo light corn syrup

1C      Sugar

1C      Water

12oz   Chocolate  (Bittersweet or Milk, you decide)

Process

Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice off the top and bottom of each orange

Score the peel of the orange into quarters, cutting through the white pith

Pull the the orange peel and skin off the orange

Remove any stringy membranes from the inside of the peel (do not remove the white pith)

Cut each quarter into 1/4 inch wide strips

Put the peels into a large, heavy saucepan

Add cold water to cover the peels

Drain and repeat two times

Return the orange peel to the saucepan

Add cold water to cover the peel by about an inch and bring to a boil

Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the peel is tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes

Drain and set aside

Set a large wire rack over a baking sheet

Combine the corn syrup, sugar, and water in the saucepan in which you blanched the peel

Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar

Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar crystals

Add the the orange peel to the pan

Bring to a simmer

Reduce the heat and simmer gently

Stir once or twice with a clean spoon until the peel is translucent and very tender and the syrup has reduced to a few spoonfuls, 30 to 40 minutes

Do not allow the syrup to reduce to less than this, or the bottom of the pan will become too hot and crystallize the sugar

Using a slotted spoon or a fork, transfer the peel to the wire rack to drain, separating all the strips of peel

Let stand until dry, at least 4 hours, and up to 3 days

Once the orange peel is thoroughly dry

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week

Melt the chocolate wafers in a microwave

Dip the orange peels, knocking off the excess

Let dry on a wire rack for 4 hours, or overnight