Sweet-sour treat made from discards

4 thick-skinned oranges or lemons or 2 grapefruit
2 cups sugar
Water
Demerara sugar or white sugar for rolling

Instructions:

Peel the skin from the fruit, reserving the flesh for another use.

Place the skin in a heavy saucepan and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until peel is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup liquid.

If using grapefruit, return peel to pan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain. Then, repeat process once more, so the grapefruit peel has been boiled and simmered three times.

With a spoon, scrape off pith from the inside of the peel. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the peel into long strips.

Combine 2 cups sugar with the 1 cup of reserved liquid in the saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Let boil until mixture reaches 236 degrees F. (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer.

Reduce heat to low and return cut peel to the saucepan. Cook peel in syrup over low heat until the peel has absorbed most of the syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let peel cool in the syrup.

Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of demerara or white sugar in a pie plate. When the peel has cooled enough to be handled (about 10 minutes), remove pieces of peel from the syrup with tongs one at a time. Let drain briefly, then roll peel gently in the sugar. Pick up peel pieces individually with another tongs, gently shake off excess sugar, then dry pieces on a rack for a few hours. The pieces will harden as they dry.

Store wrapped in waxed paper or in an airtight container.

Note: For an even more special treat, melt 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons shortening, then dip the dried and sugared peel in the chocolate. Let dry and store as note above.

Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman (Macmillan)