It is very easy to make crystallized lemon! You can use candied lemon slices to decorate your cakes, tarts, etc.
If you are a lemon lover, then you will love this recipe. I am planning to make many recipes with lemon and decorate them with candied lemon slices. So this recipe is a must to share.
You can decorate your cakes, tarts, cupcakes, baked goods with candied lemons to give a nice touch.
For this easy recipe what you need is to slice the lemon very thin, make a syrup and let the slices simmer in the syrup for 15 minutes or until the slices are translucent.
My ratio of sugar to water is 1/2 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar. The mixture becomes syrupy in a short time. I skip the blanching step to avoid bitterness as I don’t find it necessary for these lemon slices.
If you want to blanch, you should place the lemon slices in a pan, cover with enough water and bring to a boil. This step will also soften the rind of the lemon. You can see this step on my chocolate dipped orange candied peels. You should keep the lemon slices in ice-cold water while you prepare the syrup.
Here are the steps;
First I wash my lemon well. I cut into 1/8 to 1/6 inch (3-4mm) thick slices with my sharp knife. If you use a mandoline slicer you can cut the slices evenly. I gently remove the seeds.
I put 1/2 cup water and 1 cup sugar in my medium pan. Then I place the pan over med-low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
When it starts to boil, I take the pan from the heat and add the lemon slices. Then I place the pan over low heat and let it simmer without stirring for 10 minutes or until the slices become translucent.
When the slices are translucent, I let the excess syrup drip off back into the pan and place them on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper and let them cool at room temperature. Instead of a baking sheet, you can place them on a wire rack to let the excess syrup drip off.
I let them dry at room temperature. It takes almost 16-24 hours to completely dry.
Alternatively, you can first dry the slices for 1 hour at room temperature and then keep them in the fridge to let them firm. You can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Crystallized Lemon Slices
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon
- 120 ml/g (1/2 cup) water
- 210 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash the lemon well. Cut into 1/8 to 1/6 inch (3-4mm) thick slices with a sharp knife or a mandoline slicer. Remove the seeds gently.
- If you prefer to blanch to avoid bitterness and soften rind of lemon, you should place the lemon slices in a pan, cover with enough water and bring to a boil. Remove the slices and keep them in ice cold water while you prepare the syrup.
- Put the water and sugar in a medium pan and place it over med-low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let it boil.
- When it boils, take the pan from the heat immediately and add the lemon slices. Let the slices simmer without stirring at low heat for 15 minutes or until they are translucent.
- Take the slices from the pan and let the excess syrup drip off back into the pan. Place the slices on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or on a wire rack and let them cool at room temperature. It takes almost 16-24 hours to dry completely. You can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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