If you've made it this far: Congratulations. The cleaning, scrubbing, scraping and burning is all over. So with the hard part behind you, take some time this Hol Hamoed to have fun in the kitchen and whip up some delicious, and obviously kosher for Passover, candy!
Below are two fun recipes for homemade candy – delicious sugary orange peel and cool refreshing peppermint patties! The orange peel is a great way to use an entire orange without waste – simply cut off the peel neatly before enjoying the juicy fruit and then turn it in to a treat! The only other things you need are sugar and water. And a little spare time.
The peppermint patties are a great treat straight from the freezer as the weather starts to heat up (it's 85 F here in Jerusalem!) and there's also a refreshing post-dinner snack. You should be able to find kosher for Passover peppermint extract at a well-stocked kosher store.
Chag Kasher V'Sameach!
Candied Orange Peel:
3 medium oranges
3 cups sugar
3 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
Wash and pat dry the oranges. Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges. Score the outside peel in four pieces, and peel off the skin. Eat the orange. Offer some orange slices to your friends.
Dice the peel in to even strips, about 1/8" each.
Bring a pot of water to boil, and add the strips of peel. Boil for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse well.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and 3 cups sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the orange strips and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, checking occasionally, for 45 minutes. Keep at a low, uniform simmer – the syrup should not turn brown.
Drain the peel, do NOT rinse.
Spread out on a piece of foil, and sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup sugar on top. Toss until evenly coated.
Here you can take two routes: Spread the peel on a baking sheet, and stick it on the oven on the lowest setting (for me it is 170 F). Bake, tossing every 5 minutes, before about 20 minutes, until the pieces are dry to the touch. Or leave out on a sheet for 24 hours.
Peppermint Patties:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons peppermint extract*
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cream
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
Cream together the sugar, butter, peppermint, vanilla and cream. Beat for several minutes until smooth.
Roll a teaspoon of the mixture at a time into a ball, and flatten them slightly on to parchment-paper lined baking sheets. Flash freeze the patties for 20 to 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate and oil together. Dip the patties into the chocolate one at a time, allowing any excess to drip off. Place them back on the parchment paper. When completed, return the sheet to the freezer until hard.
I preferred to store mine in the freezer – the fridge would also be fine, but I wouldn't leave them out at room temperature.
*Peppermint extract is not the easiest ingredient to find, but do not substitute "mint" extract instead – unless you want a mouth full of chocolate covered toothpaste.
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