My latest cocktail orders have come to the table with the most beautiful dried citrus garnishes. Whether it’s a wheel of lemon or orange or lime, the rounds have the essence of the fruit, but in a more smoky, tangy-good kind of way. And they’re lovely: deeper in colour than the fresh citrus as the dehydrating process results in all of the delicate citrus cells being accentuated like etchings.
So I started looking to see if I could make these myself. And it turns out, it’s pretty easy. It just takes a little bit of time because it’s a slow and low, baking method.
They’re not just for use in cocktails, either, but can be applied as a super-stylish garnish for decorating desserts, too. I’m also going to try using them to make fruit sugar by whipping them in the food processor with white sugar. And then, sprinkle that fruit sugar on fresh berries or in a cup of tea. Nice, right!
Method
Slice your citrus fruit really thinly. You can use lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins, blood oranges – whatever you like!
Some people might want to use a mandolin to slice them, but I have a super-sharp Wüsthof knife so I prefer to use that.
Place your slices on parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Make sure they’re not touching.
Preheat your oven to 170F or as low as it can go.
Bake for 2 hours, then turn your fruit slices and return to the oven for another 2 hours.*
When that time is up, turn off your oven but leave your fruit inside until the oven is completely cool.
Remove your fruit and store in a closed, air-tight container, ideally in the fridge so they last as long as possible.
*Note: the larger your fruit, the longer it will take to bake to remove all of their liquid. Ie. Oranges 3-4 hours while lemons and limes might be done after 3 hours. I made a mix of oranges, lemons and limes, and slow roasted for a totally of 4 hours, which turned out well.
Have fun. This is super easy, and the fruit looks very elegant – definitely a way to elevate a simple cocktail and your entertaining overall.
