[lvdkeyes]

White Chocolate Citrus Truffles

Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 ounces white chocolate chips
1/3 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
1 pound chopped white chocolate, for tempering
Slivers of candied orange or lemon peel
1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place the white chocolate in a large bowl.
2. Place the cream and citrus zests in a small saucepan and simmer until bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and cover. Let the cream sit for 30 minutes to infuse and absorb the citrus aromas.
3. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Return the cream to the heat briefly to warm it, and then pour it through a strainer over the white chocolate. Stir gently to combine. Cover the Ganache with cling wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Once it has cooled, place the bowl in the refrigerator to firm up, for 4 hours or overnight.
5. Once it is firm enough to shape, spoon or pipe 1-inch balls of Ganache onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for remaining Ganache and place the tray of truffles in the freezer to set for 2 hours.
6. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and roll the scooped truffles into round shapes. Return to the freezer for another 2 hours to make them firm enough to dip in melted chocolate.
7. Temper the white chocolate, or alternately, melt the chocolate with 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening. Dip the firm centers in the melted chocolate using dipping tools or two forks. Wipe the excess chocolate on the rim of the bowl, and place the dipped truffle back on the baking sheet. While chocolate is still wet, garnish with slivers of candied lemon or orange peel.

Candied Citrus Peel

4 Oranges
4.25 cups water
2.5 cups sugar, plus more for coating
Preparation:
1. Use a knife or a citrus peeler to score the peels of four oranges into quarters. Peel the oranges carefully, trying to keep the peels intact as much as possible. Set the peeled oranges aside and reserve for another use.
2. Using a sharp knife cut away the bitter white pith from the underside of the peels. The remaining peel should be approximately 1/8” thick. Do not worry if small amounts of white pith remain.
3. Slice the peels into long, thin strips approximately ½” thick.
4. Combine 4.25 cups of water and 2.5 cups of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and heat, uncovered, until the sugar boils for 5 minutes.
5. Add the strips of peel and turn the heat down to low, until the mixture is just at a simmer. Cook, uncovered and simmering, until the syrup reduces to a quarter of its original volume (the syrup will barely cover the tops of the peels). Do not stir during this process, as that might cause the formation of large sugar crystals. The simmering will take approximately 2 hours.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool. Once cool, drain the peels in a colander. At this point, turn your oven to 200 degrees.
7. Place about one cup of sugar in a small bowl. Dredge the peels in the sugar until they are coated, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add more sugar if necessary.
8. Place the sugar-coated peels in the warm oven and allow them to dry out. This should take approximately one hour, but check them every 20 minutes to ensure that they are not burning or cooking in any way. Alternately, they can be left to sit overnight on a drying rack instead of placed in the oven.
9. Once peels are completely dry, scrape off any excess sugar clumps. Store them in a dry location and they should keep for weeks. Candied peels can be dipped in melted chocolate and enjoyed plain, or used in cake, cookie, candy, or bread recipes.