A Holiday Tradition: Grapefruit Rind Candy
In 2000, Odessa Piper, the founding chef and former owner of L'Etoile Restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, told Wisconsin Trails magazine that generations of Piper women have been candying grapefruit peel by a three-day process that I have since incorporated into my holiday kitchen routine—with the exception of last year, when I realized too late that we had moved away from the neighbor whose Crock-Pot I had always borrowed for the task.
This year I bought my own Crock-Pot. I also ordered a box of organic grapefruit from L'Hoste Citrus in Braithwaite, Louisiana, which is better known for its satsumas but also produces exceptional navel oranges, Meyer lemons, and pink grapefruit this time of year. The L'Hostes farm on land so low-lying that cruise ships tower above their citrus groves as they travel up and down the Mississippi River just beyond a grassy levee.
by Alice Medrich use whole ground vanilla beans and golden syrup, which makes them extra delicious. If you're having trouble locating golden syrup, ask for Lyle's Golden Syrup, which is the most well-known brand in the U.S.
