Candied Fruit

candied fruit whole fruits preserved by soaking in syrup for several days until the sugar replaces the moisture in the fruit. The result is very sweet and firm textured, retaining the shape, and usually the colour, of the original.

The lengthy process is not difficult, but requires patience and attention to detail. Fruit is prepared by cooking briefly in water to soften it, before immersion in syrup. The syrup is drained every day and the concentration increased by dissolving more sugar in it, before it is poured over the fruit again. (If the fruit was added to a highly concentrated syrup from the beginning, the result would be shrivelled and tough. When the concentration increases gradually, shape and tenderness are retained.) Finally, the fruit is drained and allowed to dry in very gentle heat for several days. If desired it can be coated in caster sugar to become ‘crystallized fruit’ or dipped in concentrated sugar syrup to give the smooth coating called glacé in French.