I’m late, I admit it.
Even though I didn’t manage to prepare all the sweet Christmas treats I usually bake on time, I still squeezed in a few favorites from my holiday list. That delay made me realize there is no reason I should make orangettes and chocolate mendiants only at Christmas. As long as oranges are in season and I can find organic ones — which is easy where I live — and with the many nuts in my pantry, these treats are appropriate year-round. They also make lovely gifts. I’ve never met anyone who thinks candied orange peels dipped in chocolate or small fruit-and-nut chocolate rounds are only suited to December — and if you disagree, you’re probably joking.
Traditionally, I’m not the family orangette maker; my sister-in-law takes on that role every year. This time she kept up the tradition miles away in our home village in France, so if I wanted orangettes, I had to make them myself. Since we spent Christmas with P’s Irish family, I decided to bring a bit of French tradition to the table. While they served plum pudding and performed the theatrical “ah, oh, ah” while flambéing the dessert, I quietly nibbled on my orangettes and chocolate mendiants.
Orangettes are simply candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate. Orange and chocolate are a classic pairing, so it’s a satisfying combination. Because you eat the peel, use organic oranges and choose good-quality dark chocolate — I prefer around 70% cocoa. I made several batches of orangettes and kept some candied peel whole to use as toppings for mendiants.
Mendiants originate in southern France as part of the traditional thirteen desserts served on Christmas Eve in Provence. The original assortment includes almonds, figs, hazelnuts and raisins, and each dried fruit is said to represent the robes of different mendicant orders, which is how they got their name. Today mendiants are typically small rounds of chocolate topped with an assortment of dried fruits and nuts — a simple, elegant treat.
Expecting a traditional Irish Christmas dinner, I knew plum pudding would be served and guessed someone in the family might miss chocolate. I therefore packed gift bags with orangettes and mendiants: one for him, one for her, one for them — and of course one for me. I even added a few extras. I did forget one detail: my mother-in-law prefers milk chocolate and a particular brand at that, and my gifts were all dark. She might not have eaten many, but it didn’t matter — they were enjoyed by everyone.
You need:
- Orange peels (use organic oranges)
- Granulated sugar — the same weight as the orange peels
- Water — the same weight as the orange peels
- Dark chocolate, about 70% cocoa
Steps:
- Peel the oranges and slice the peels into sticks about 0.2″ (0.5 cm) wide.
- Blanch the peels three times in boiling water for 3 minutes each, changing the water between blanches.
- Make a syrup by combining sugar and water in a small pot, bring to a gentle boil, then add the orange peels and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
- Drain the peels and place them on a cooling rack to dry overnight.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Using a fork, dip the peels in chocolate to coat them.
- Lift them out to drain and place on a Silpat or acetate sheet to cool and set. Store in a metal tin.
Note: Blanching the peels helps them absorb the syrup more evenly and improves the candying process.
You need:
- White chocolate
- Dark chocolate, 70% cocoa
- A selection of nuts such as walnuts, pecans, pistachios and pine nuts
- Dried fruit like candied orange peels, dried apricots and sliced cranberries
Steps:
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.
- Use a small spoon to form little rounds of chocolate on a Silpat. While still warm, top each round with your choice of nuts and dried fruit.
- Allow the mendiants to cool and harden, then peel them off the Silpat and store in an airtight container.
Le coin français
Ingrédients :
- Pelures d’oranges (bio recommandées)
- Sucre fin, même poids que les pelures
- Eau, même poids que les pelures
Étapes :
- Pelez les oranges et coupez la peau en bâtonnets d’environ 0,5 cm de large.
- Blanchissez-les trois fois dans de l’eau bouillante pendant 3 minutes à chaque fois, en changeant l’eau entre les fois.
- Préparez un sirop en mélangeant sucre et eau. Portez à ébullition, ajoutez les bâtonnets et laissez mijoter à feu doux pendant 30 minutes.
- Égouttez-les puis placez-les sur une grille pour les laisser sécher pendant 24 heures.
- Faites fondre le chocolat au bain-marie et trempez les orangettes à l’aide d’une fourchette pour les enrober.
- Égouttez-les et placez-les sur une feuille guitare ou un Silpat. Laissez sécher à l’air et conservez dans une boîte métallique.
Remarque : blanchir les pelures facilite la confiture et permet aux peaux d’absorber mieux le sucre.
Ingrédients :
- Chocolat blanc
- Chocolat noir à 70% de cacao
- Noix variées : noix, pécanes, pistaches, pignons
- Fruits secs : oranges confites, abricots secs, cranberries coupées finement
Étapes :
- Faites fondre le chocolat au bain-marie.
- Formez de petits ronds avec une cuillère sur un Silpat ou une feuille guitare, puis ajoutez des morceaux de fruits secs et des noix avant que le chocolat ne durcisse.
- Laissez durcir, décollez et dégustez.