December 23. - Making the last of my planed christmas treats. I don't know if I or the treats got covered the most in chocolate.

There is something about the combination of orange and chocolate, the flavors compliments each other perfectly. I alway buy chocolate covered orange peel at christmas time, and they are not cheap, by any means. So when I learned how make these at a Valrhona chocolate workshop at Sur la Table, I was very happy. I think you would like this recipe, so you can save some money making your own. It's actually really simple, but it takes some time, because you have to cook the peels 3 times to get rid of the bitterness.

This is the recipe I got from my cooking class.

Ingredients:

3-4 large navel oranges
1,5 cups sugar
⅓ cup (180ml) orange flavored liqueur, Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 cup sugar (to coat the cooked orange peels)
340 g Bittersweet chocolate (like Valrhona 61%)

Directions:

Cut of the top and bottom of the oranges and discard. Cut the oranges into quarters and remove all but the but 1/2-inch of flesh, which will assist in removing the bitterness of the peel during the cooking process. Cut the quarters into 1/4- inch wide matchstick strips.

Place the orange slices in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and place on the stove over a medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Using a strainer, remove the water and repeat the process with fresh water two more times.

After the third boil, drain and rinse the cooked orange peel under cold water and remove any pulp that is attached to the peel.

Return the orange slices to the pan with 1-1/2 cups of sugar and the liqueur and place on the stove over a low heat to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes.

Continue to cook on low heat until the sugar is absorbed by the peel, about 1 hour. While the peel is cooking, spread the remaining sugar evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the saucepan from the stove and immediately roll the orange peel strips in the sugar, separating the slices to coat them completely. Transfer the slices onto a sheet of parchment paper and then let them air-dry, about 20 minutes.

To dip orange peel with chocolate: Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt and temper the chocolate over a double-boiler.

Dip a slice of the candied orange peel into the chocolate, half-way or completely, thoroughly coating it. With a fork or a dipper, remove the slice from the chocolate, gently shake off the excess chocolate, and turn the slice out onto the paper. Repeat with the remaining slices. Let the chocolate dipped orange peel set up at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator, about 15 minutes.