Candied Orange Slices Battle: Part One

As there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat and there are also many ways to candy fruit. In the quest for understanding, I've decided to test two recipes. The first is from the Repressed Pastry Chef and the second is from Brownie Points: a good girl's notebook of her culinary world. The Repressed Pastry Chef's method is quicker. It's as simple as dissolving some sugar in water, adding the orange slices, reducing the liquid until you are left with beautiful gem-like candied orange slices, which you can enjoy au naturale or dipped in dark chocolate. However I was also intrigued by Brownie Points' idea of immersing the orange slices in sugar syrup and lovingly adding 100g of sugar daily over two weeks. So to determine which method is best, I'm pitting Candied Orange Slices against Candied Orange Slices and here is how part one played out:

Brownie Points Immersion Method: Some lovely Valencia Oranges, sliced and then halved.

Brownie Points Immersion Method: Blanching the orange slices in boiling water. I then cooled these in iced water before transferring them into an air tighter container and immersing them in sugar syrup.

Repressed Pastry Chef Method: After dissolving the sugar in water, I added the orange slices.

Repressed Pastry Chef Method: This is my favourite stage. When the liquid has dissolved you are left with gorgeous translucent orange slices.

So at the end of the Candied Orange Slices Battle: Part One, the Brownie Points Method embarks on its two weeks of immersion, while the Orange Slices subjected to the Repressed Pastry Chef method have been rolled in sugar and stored in an air tight container. Which Candied Orange Slices Method will rein supreme? Return in a couple of weeks to find out!

While we're waiting, I'll introduce you to Miss Baci. Miss Baci is an attentive kitchen assistant, who would just love me to drop something edible.