Pan -Tinks Emporium

By Sarah Cabral

You can use dried peels in sauces and stews; it is a very Provencal seasoning, adding flavour to ratatouille, tomato sauce and fish soup.
In it’s ground-up form, the dried peel can be added to marinades, cakes, custards, poaching liquors, or to coarse salt as a seasoning on meats.

How to dry orange peel (or other citrus peels).

Peel 2 fresh oranges with a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include the bitter white pith beneath the orange rind. I only used 2 oranges because I was experimenting, but you can peel as many fruits as you want.
Scatter the peelings in a single layer, on to a baking sheet lined with grease-proof paper. Then bake at 110C for about an hour and a half.

The timings and temperature depend very much on your oven and how large your peelings are. For my first batch I followed a method for 120C for 2 hours and ended up with cremated lemon peel! So, my best advice is to check every 10-15 minutes and see how they’re going, adjust the temperature and time accordingly.

When ready, the peel will be dry and brittle. Let it cool completely and store it an air-tight container, in a cool, dark place. It will keep indefinitely stored like this.

You also have the advantage that not only do they smell great and pack a fantastic flavour punch, they look great too!

Source: http://www.eatingbritain.com