Christmas Crackle Tree
Turn the last of your cereal into a Christmas Crackle Tree. These make a great centerpiece which you can eat and enjoy after the meal.
Chocolate Dipped Candied Citrus
Candied citrus is a great way to make use of the whole fruit, with no peel going to waste. These chocolate dipped candied citrus slices make the perfect little sweet treat.
Don’t lose track while you’re cooking, click on an ingredient or step to tick it off so you know where you are up to.
Ingredients
- 6 thin skinned mandarins, or 2 oranges
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 200g dark chocolate
Method
- Give your citrus a good scrub to clean the outside, then pat dry. Top the mandarins to remove the stalk. Slice through the rest into 1/2 cm rounds, discarding the pips as you go.
- Simmer a pot of water on the stovetop then blanch the mandarin slices for 30 seconds. Drain. Repeat this ‘blanch and drain’ process another 2 times, so you have blanched all of the slices three times. This process helps to remove the bitter oils from the skin without cooking the fruit.
- Finally, simmer a cup of water and cup of sugar in a saucepan, stirring well until sugar has dissolved. Add blanched mandarin slices and simmer for 10 minutes in the sugary water. Drain, then place rounds in a single layer on a wire rack in a low oven (eg: 50°C) for 6-8 hours, or overnight to dry.
- Melt dark chocolate in a metal bowl that securely sits over of a saucepan of simmering water. Stir well until chocolate is melted. Dip dried mandarin slices into the chocolate, allow to dry naturally on baking paper, before serving. Store in an airtight container.