My paycheck is small so trips to Whole Foods is an occasional treat. I know I will peruse the aisles discovering products I never knew existed, but settle on a modest peasant’s dinner. With baguette in hand, a sampling of olives from the bar, and a cheese that piqued my interest, I am just about to walk out the door having spent no more than ten bucks. Take that, luxurious grocery chain! But lucky for Whole Foods and unfortunately for me, I cannot possibly get to checkout without going through a gauntlet of fresh-baked desserts and stacks of chocolate.
Enter Ludomar: Turrón trufado con melocotón y rosas. Yes, seven dollars of “chocolate concept” direct from Spain… One hundred grams of contemporary confection in a delightfully over-designed box of brown and pink that made me weak in the knees. I was done for - when it comes to artisan chocolate, no price is too high.

I was disappointed to find that the bar is much smaller than the box it came in, but the flavors made up for it. The label boasts “a smooth chocolate truffle bar with a fruity flavor highlighted with a touch of rose” but this does not do the bar justice. The bar is no less than 60% cacao, a silky length of truffle enrobed in a thick shell of dark chocolate that snaps brightly when broken…like cracking open a treasure box. Despite the name, the bar is not overwhelmingly fruity. The flavors of apricot and rose are delicately balanced atop the chocolate and the result is whole and complete. This is the secret satin pink negligee of chocolate… neatly folded in the lingerie drawer and ready to go with the right bottle of Moet Chandon - sweet, sensuous, floral and feminine.

So, what to do with tons of sour oranges? Stave off the winter scurvy by making candy instead and save the fresh juice for breakfast. I’m not much for Martha, but every now and then I like to make something involved. Spending a few long Saturdays making these and Meyer lemon peels seemed like a good idea. These peels came out wonderfully, especially drenched in dark chocolate.

Candied Orange Peels

Adapted from the Food Network Test Kitchen

Thick-skinned oranges, as many as you are willing to peel and pith.
4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 1/2 cups water
Optional: Valrhona 70% couverture chocolate, for dipping
Cut the tops and bottoms off each orange, score into quarters and carefully peel the skin off in large pieces. Save the oranges for juicing or more baking. Clean the white pith from the peels and cut into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Individually cutting the pith from the peels is a bit time consuming, but makes for uniform strips. If jagged edges do not bother you, you can just as easily use a veggie peeler or zester to get the peel and not the pith. Place the peels in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour out the water and repeat twice more. This will mellow the bitterness.

In a separate pot, whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. If it does not look like you will have enough syrup to cover the peels, add more sugar and water as needed before placing on the heat. Clip on your candy thermometer and bring to a simmer and cook to soft thread stage (230 degrees). Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels become translucent, about 45 minutes.

Do not stir the peels, as this may cause the candy to crystallize. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the syrup and save for ice tea or ice cream. Use chopsticks to remove the hot peels from the pan and toss in sugar. Dry on a rack overnight and enjoy the leftover sugar with morning coffee!
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt half in a double boiler. When the chocolate has just melted, stir in the remainin chopped chocolate until smooth. This brings the temper back to the chocolate so that “blooming” does not happen later on. Dip the peels and allow to dry on parchment paper.

I bought my candy thermometer for $14 four years ago when I first decided to make my own caramels. What I love about candymaking is that you don’t often need too many ingredients. There is nothing complicated about it - you just need a candy thermometer and a watchful eye to make sure the sugar reaches the right “consistency.” When reaching certain temperatures, the structure of the sugar changes. After cooling, the sugar becomes anything from whippably soft (like divinity), gooey, chewy, or hard and brittle. The only thing you must be careful of is not to burn yourself, as the candy can reach very high temperatures. You also have to be careful not to stir the melted sugar syrup, as this will re-introduce sugar crystals and lead to crystallization and texture issues later on.