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A sinful little thing to do with candied orange peel
Published: 11/17/2011 7:00 AM
Last Modified: 11/16/2011 7:15 PM


This is Fortunato No. 4, a rare Peruvian chocolate. This is also on my wish list for Santa. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

Christmas of 1986 started out so jolly to have ended so violently.

As we did every year, Dad's side of the family gathered at Mamaw Wright's for our annual Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange. Basically, we played for a little bit, ate, opened gifts and ate some more, usually while playing with whatever toys we received or -- to Papaw's occasionally vocal disapproval -- played cards.

In addition to whatever Mamaw made for dinner, she offered cakes and pies aplenty, plus fudge -- "plain" and "nuts," either of which were scrawled in Magic Marker on top of whatever Currier & Ives holiday tin you grabbed. And if that wasn't enough, she also had a jade-green ceramic tray with a pagoda-type lid she'd put on a Lazy Susan and fill with assorted store-bought candies, including M&Ms (both plain and peanut), Hershey's Kisses, gumdrops and Brach's Orange Slices.

Despite everything else I inhaled that night, I apparently took a shine to the orange slices -- a blinding shine that proved particularly bright the following day at Mamaw Walters' house, where I spent a sizable chunk of the day either in a fetal position in her back bedroom or a praying mantis-type position in her bathroom. I insisted it was "some kind of bug," although no one else was sick; Mom insisted it was the orange slices, of which I'd eaten at least half a pound.

It took me years before I could contemplate orange slices without grimacing, then years on top of those before I'd nibble on one. But blah, blah, blah, I like me some candied orange peel -- as long as it comes with a little bit o' chocolate.

So pretty please with heavy cream on top ponder my pleasure at a recipe
Bill Copeland, owner of Glacier Confection at 15 E. Brady St., shared for Orange Dips, a milk chocolate nibble of nirvana with a touch of candied orange peel.

As I tell y'all in Thursday's Weekend magazine story on the annual "Champagne & Chocolate Gala," I didn't have room for a recipe Bill shared, so I wanted to tell you here.

"You can explore chocolate as you can experience the finest wines, or you can enjoy the humblest of candies by the handful -- it makes no difference," Bill said.

Glacier tends toward the finer side of chocolate, including the Fortunato No. 4. Not many people know about it, and Bill's shop is just one of a handful who carry it.

But let's get back to those Orange Dips, for which Bill suggests using a milk chocolate that's 40-45 percent cocoa.

ORANGE DIPS

1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate
16 ounces heavy cream
6 ounces corn syrup
6 ounces candied orange peel
1/4 pound milk chocolate

1. Bring the cream to a boil (a microwave will work fine for this, Bill said).
2. Chop 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate, and place in a bowl. Then, pour the cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for a minute or so (you will see the chocolate slowly melting); then stir with a spatula or whisk until very smooth. Do NOT stir aggressively.
3. Add the corn syrup; stir in completely.
4. Finely chop candied orange peel, and add to the ganache (i.e., the yummy, chocolate-y goodness you created above).
5. Scoop up approximately a tablespoon, and form into "C" or "S" shapes on parchment paper. Let harden.
6. Melt 1/4 pound milk chocolate. Then dip your Cs and/or Ss into melted milk chocolate. Refrigerate to set, approximately 10 minutes.

To pack Orange Dips, place into a covered container, and separate each layer with wax paper. Store in a cool, dry location with a temperature between 65-70 degrees. If stored properly, they have a shelf life of about 4 weeks.

Enjoy! Just don't eat a half pound of 'em in one sitting.

Peace, love and candied peels ... XOXO

P.S.: Want to make your own candied orange peel? Check out this recipe from FoodNetwork.com.


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Living Wright

While other kids were watching "The Smurfs," Scene Writer Jason Ashley Wright was tuned in to "Style with Elsa Klensch." By fourth grade, he knew he wanted to write, and spent almost three years publishing a weekly teen-oriented magazine, Teen-Zine -- circulation: 2. After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, he became the medical reporter and teen board coordinator for the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, a Gannett newspaper. Eight months later, with visions of Elsa dancing in his head, he applied for the fashion writer position at the Tulsa World, where he began working on Aug. 3, 1998. He is now a general assignment reporter for Scene.

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