Cooking with Chef Jo: Planning for My Fruitcakes-"Citron"

This isn't mine, but close

Love it or hate it, fruit cakes from scratch takes time for the preparation in making them. From dehydrating the fruits, shelling the pecans, making the batter, and aging the fruitcakes take months! There are a lot of steps in preparation for making my fruitcakes.  You could always cheat and buy the dehydrated fruit at the store. But doing it my way, is a labor of love and tastiness.

I'll be dedicating the next several weeks to this process and show you the finished product.

It starts the winter before when Meyer lemons and clementines (aka mandarin oranges) are in season. I still purchase these because my own potted trees haven't fruited yet. Next year, I should have my own home grown harvest. We are starting with the "citron.." I love this recipe for "Citron" tea as well as citrons for my fruitcakes. I'll can it for the tea and later dehydrate some for my fruitcakes but it all starts the same. Citrons are not grown in the US so, I'll make do with what's available. The taste difference is marginal.

"Citron" and Honey Preserves
7 half pint jars

What you'll need

Not me, but Mel

10 Meyers lemons, fully ripe they should have very little pith around the fruit
5 mandarin/clementines, pith and veins removed if you can
2 cup raw honey
1-2 TBS water

Putting it all together

• Scrub the outside skina of the room temperature fruits with a solution of 1tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vinegar, to 1 gallon of water even if the produce is organic. Cut out any bad spots.

• Thinly slice (1/4") the clementine/mandarin oranges and lemons. Chop each slice in 2" pieces picking out any seeds.

• Place oranges into a saucepan.
• Over low heat, add 2 TBS of water so the oranges do not scorch. You want to warm them through not boil them.
• Measure out the raw honey into a bowl and add the lemons.
• Stir in the warmed clementines/mardarin oranges.
• Stir well to coat every piece.
• Put it into half pint jars and cover.
• Leave the jars on the counter for three days to get good and happy, and for the juices to meld with the honey.
• Refrigerate the jars for the most nutrition benefits.
• Or, water bath can for 10 minutes. You lose some of the benefits, but it becomes shelf stable.

For the fruitcake mix, I'll strain the fruit. For God's sake, reserve all that great honey mixture to put in regular hot or iced  tea. Place the fruit on a jelly roll dehydrator tray and dehydrate (about 24 hours @160 degrees). Be aware that the dehydrated fruit will remain it's moist stickiness due the honey, but the orange and lemon are dehydrated. Refrigerate until ready to use. I'll dehydrate a full batch of this recipe for the fruitcakes so after the three days of allowing the fruit to meld, I'll dehydrate it.

For Citron Tea, I'll put almost 2 TBS of the preserve in a mug and fill it the rest of the way with boiled water. I'll let it steep for 4 minutes and enjoy on a cold winter's night. For added nutritional boost, munch on the fruit after you've finished your tea. Or for summertime refresher, take 2 half pints and 2 qts of boiled water, let it steep, and then pour it into a gallon pitcher filling the rest with water. It will cool you down and refresh you in short order.

I'll usually make two batches. One batch for each.

Stay tuned to next Wednesday for another ingredient to my fruitcake.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo