Preserved Citron or Watermelon Hinds
Ingredients
Directions
Make the citron
Boil the citron in water until clear and soft enough to pierce with a fork.
Remove the citron and place it in a syrup made of sugar and water.
Boil until the sugar has penetrated the citron.
Dry and store
Remove and spread on dishes to dry slowly, sprinkling with powdered sugar several times while turning.
Once dried, pack in jars or boxes with sugar between the layers.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Citron
- Is the fruit being preserved; its rind becomes tender and clear after boiling.
- Sugar
- Penetrates the citron in syrup, preserving it and making it sweet.
- Powdered sugar
- Coats the outside while drying, adding a sweet, dry finish to the surface.
The step that matters
Boiling in syrup until the sugar has penetrated. Sugar must fully penetrate the citron to preserve it. Under-boiling leaves the fruit under-saturated and prone to spoiling, while the syrup concentration controls how the sugar moves into the tissue.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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