As the sun sets on summertime, I am welcoming fall with open arms, but before I bid summer a final adieu, I decided I needed to savor the last of the bright, citrus flavors. Have you ever candied fruit? If yes, you go, girl! If no, that was me too three weeks ago. I had these giant, juicy oranges that were going to waste. So, I decided it was time to add a new cooking skill in my toolbelt: candying. I won't lie; I was very intimidated at first. Candied fruit is something that I am used to seeing at Neiman's during Christmas in the most gorgeous tins. But with a little research and a little pep talk, I was well on my way, and before I knew it, my oranges were candied and, if I may, delicious! Here's to savoring the last of summer and welcoming fall! I cannot wait to candy some grapefruit slices around Christmas now!

Ingredients:

• Fruit of your choice, sliced into 1/8 of an inch slices, with seeds taken out

  • I used 1 large orange here

• 3 cups of water

• 2 1/2 cups of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of fresh juice of the fruit you are using

  • For this I used 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice

• Extra sugar for finishing

Method:

1. Combine water and sugar over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.

2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low and add fruit juice.

3. Place fruit in a single layer (it would probably be easiest to do this in a skillet) and cook until rind is translucent, about 45-60 minutes.

4. Once translucent, take out one at a time—allowing the syrup to drip off.

5. Place on a cooling rack, with a lined pan underneath it. You really don’t want to scrub syrup off your metal pan!

6. Dust with granulated sugar, if so desired, and allow to dry for 3-4 hours or overnight.

7. Stores in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days and the syrup used to make the candied fruit can be saved and refrigerated for cocktail making!