I candy Etrog citrons in the restaurant, but I’ve adapted the recipe for good old lemons. You could chop this up and fold it into whipped cream. Or serve over ice cream.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 cup

　　2 large lemons

　　1 cup (280g) Simple Syrup (page 184)

　　1 tablespoon (17g) light corn syrup

　　

Step 1

Cut off the tops and bottoms of the lemons with a thin, sharp knife, to the point where you expose the flesh. Remove the zest with a vegetable peeler, leaving only the smallest amount of white pith on the zest. Cut the zest into neat 1/8-inch-wide batons. (Reserve the lemons for another use.)

　　

Step 2

Bring a small pot of cold water to a boil. Add the zest, bring back to a boil, and drain. Repeat this blanching process two more times.

　　

Step 3

Put the simple syrup and corn syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the zest and bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat and poach the zest gently until it’s slightly translucent, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Let cool in the syrup. Store covered in syrup in a small glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__