Candied Limes
Candied Limes are incredibly simple to make. You can use any type of rined fruit, from lemons and limes to oranges and even grapefruit. All that you do is add sugar, water, and citrus slices to a pot and simmer until the desired consistency is reached. Some people do this quickly and use the candied limes as more of a garnish. Although you can slowly simmer them down for longer periods of time and make limes that are more edible than purely decorative. Some people also like to toss the limes in sugar to add another detailed element. Just make sure that they've cooled sufficiently before doing so or the heat from the syrup will melt the sugar.
Making candied limes also creates a lime-infused simple syrup. I added a little bit of tequila to this and used it as a drizzle for the Margarita Cheesecake that I made these for. Although you can also use it in any cocktail recipe with simple syrup in it.
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During the cooking process you're also going to end up with simply syrup. A basic simple syrup combines water and sugar in a saucepan cooked until it just begins to thicken. This is essentially what you're doing with the addition of lime! Which is fun because the water doesn't entirely cook out and you're left with flavored syrup at the end of the day. It's great in cocktails or
Variations of Candied Limes
Candied limes are a fun touch to add to many desserts. They're incredibly simple to make and largely hands off. I didn't even go into this cheesecake recipe thinking that I was going to make them. I just had a couple of extra limes and an abundance of time. So, I sliced them up and simmered until I remembered that they were still there. It's one of those things that's almost difficult to screw up. As long as the heat isn't too high and they burn or run out of liquid, you can pretty much simmer them down indefinitely. If you simmer them long enough, they even begin to crystalize and some people like to eat them as if they're actually candy. I tend to use them more for garnish because it takes some time to get the rind to soften enough to want to chew on them. But it is a possibility!
Candied Limes
Equipment
- Saucepan (or small pot)
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 c. sugar granulated
- 1 c. water
- 3 limes sliced
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
Instructions
- Slice the limes to 1/8th-inch thick, or as thinly as you can evenly cut them.
- Add the sugar, water, and lime juice to a saucepan. Stir constantly and bring to a simmer.
- After the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup has begun to simmer, add the lime slices.
- Continue to simmer the lime slices for at least 15 minutes. Making sure to rotate at least once during the cooking process.You can simmer the limes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more. I tend to simmer mine for about 30 minutes and use them as a garnish. Although you can simmer them for longer if you want more crystallization on the limes. If you simmer them down for long enough, they'll become edible. I don't necessarily want to eat lime rinds and use these more as a garnish in most scenarios. This is possible, though! And, if you have enough patience, is a viable option.The sugar water leftover is also ostensibly how you make simple syrup. So, if you simmer the limes for lesser amount of time or add more sugar and water to the mixture, the leftover syrup is great for drizzling over cakes or making cocktails with.
This Page Contains Edited Images
As a general rule, I don't like to edit images. Food styling, editing, alteration, and even faking entirely is just as rampant a problem in the recipe realm. Cooking is a very visual art and you can tell when a lot of foods are cooked based on the color. So, when this is altered and you can't use the coloration as a gauge, it makes it quite difficult to follow some recipes. I have an entire article about Food Styling and Unrealistic Expectations of Recipes. My place has very warm lighting, though. So, sometimes my camera overcompensates and ends up with an unnatural hues. I've adjusted the hues, levels, and/or cropped the following images:
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