When I was at culinary school in France, my instructor advised adding a bit of salt when candying citrus peel. When I asked why, he said that for some reason it made the peel soften, but he couldn’t explain why. So although it may be just a culinary superstition, I’ve added salt ever since. If you aren’t superstitious, simply toss the salt over your shoulder and candy the lemons without it. Although it’s not required equipment, a candy thermometer will show you when the lemon slices are done. Fit the saucepan with the thermometer before starting. When the peel is candied, it should read 225°F (107°C).

　　

Ingredients

makes enough for 1 quart (1 liter) of ice cream

　　3 lemons, preferably unsprayed

　　1 cup (250 ml) water

　　1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar

　　Big pinch of salt

　　

Step 1

Cut the lemons crosswise into very thin slices. Pick out and discard any seeds.

　　

Step 2

Put the lemon slices in a heavy-duty, nonreactive saucepan and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to a low boil, and cook for 15 minutes, turning the slices with a spoon occasionally.

　　

Step 3

Drain the lemon slices, return them to the saucepan, add more water, and blanch them again for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Drain the lemon slices again. Return them to the saucepan and add the 1 cup (250 ml) water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to reduce to a very low boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup.

　　

Step 5

If the syrup is too frothy to gauge whether the slices are done, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a moment. The lemons should be translucent and the syrup should be thick and shiny. Remove from the heat and let the lemon slices cool in their syrup.

　　

Mixing Them In

Step 6

Place the Candied Lemon Slices in a strainer and drain off as much of the syrup as possible. Chop the lemon slices into small pieces, then fold them into 1 quart (1 liter) of ice cream as you remove it from the machine.

　　

Variation

Step 7

To make Candied Orange Slices, substitute 2 oranges for the lemons.

　　

Storage

Step 8

Candied Lemon Slices will keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

　　The Perfect Scoop