Dark Chocolate-Dipped Candied Citrus with Vanilla Infused Sea Salt

conflicted confections.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped

Candied Navel Orange + Clementine Slices 

with 

Vanilla Infused Sea Salt.

confections gotta be confected.

Apparently today (yesterday, as I post this) is (was) national dipping things in chocolate day, or some equivalently contrived BS foodie holiday. I loathe participating in these things and tend to avoid them like the transparently disingenuous plague they are. Yet here I am, joining in. It really couldn't be avoided. Sometimes confections need to be confected and this was a pre-planned, pre-holiday food gift prep day that just so happened to fall on an unfortunately coincidental calendar square.

But I feel a little tool-y about it all the same...

Addendum-- all previous complaints notwithstanding, if there's ever a national vanilla-infused 

sea salt day, I'm all over it. 

That stuff is worth a cynical and VERY public sacrifice of integrity.

candied.

dipped.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped

Candied Navel Orange and Clementine Slices

with 

Vanilla Infused Sea Salt

(makes about 25 pieces)

3-4 medium sized organic navel oranges +

3-4 organic clementines
(should yield somewhere around 4c, once sliced)

6c water

2c (+ 1-2Tbsp) unrefined sugar

1/2c dark chocolate chips 

2tsp unrefined coconut oil

1Tbsp finely ground sea salt

1/4 fresh vanilla bean pod, halved

In a small container, combine sea salt and sliced vanilla bean pod.

Using your hands rub salt into the sliced pod, thoroughly combining seeds and salt.

Set aside.

Thoroughly scrub citrus and pat dry.

Using a sharp knife, remove blossom and stem ends and slice remainder of fruit into 1/8" thick discs.

Gently pop out any seeds and discard.

In a large saucepan, bring water and 2c unrefined sugar to a gentle boil, stirring until all sugar is dissolved.

Reduce to a medium-low and add citrus slices.

Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly reduced and slices are beginning to become translucent.

Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes more.

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove slices from cooking liquid one and a time and

place in a single layer on a cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet.

The baking sheet will catch any dripping sugar syrup and/or sprinkled sugar.

*side note-- leftover sugar syrup can be cooked down for 20-30 minutes more 

and reserved for future use. Cocktails anyone? 

Once slices are cooled slightly lightly sprinkle them

with additional 1-2Tbsp unrefined sugar.

Allow to air dry for 8-12 hours or, to speed up the process a bit, place on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for 1-2 hours at 135 degrees.

Once slices are dried, combine dark chocolate and coconut oil and melteither over a double boiler or in the microwave.

Dip citrus slices half way into melted chocolate and lay on parchment or silpats.

Sprinkle dipped chocolate with vanilla sea salt and set aside to cool.

Store in a cool dry place for one week or in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Wrap individually in parchment or bakers paper to keep from sticking together.

chocolate dipped everything every damn day.