I made some last night. The texture is a little softer than al dente pasta but a piece of the finished candied peel does not droop like pasta. I’m looking forward to trying the recipe you used, but for my Christmas baking, I need to stick to what I’ve been doing for years because I know it works.
I diverge from the normal candied peel recipe in that i use only the top layer of the citrus, ie. what gets used when zesting the fruit. Use a very sharp y-peeler for this. I like smaller, less chunky bits of candied citrus. The peel is simmered twice, for 15 minutes each time in fresh water to soften both the texture and the bitterness, then drain and slowly simmer it for an hour in a 2 parts sugar, 1 part water solution. For a pleasant overtone, I add a piece of vanilla bean to the cooking peel. After the fruit is to your desired softness (depending on the peel, it can take a bit longer), remove it from the syrup and let drain on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan. When it’s cool and slightly drained off, toss each piece in granulated sugar. This keeps the pieces from sticking to each other. Store in the freezer.
It’s a bit of work, but the flavour is bright without any harsh overtones.
