Shortcut Orangettes

In addition to the florentins, my little food gift packages for the holidays included orangettes, those little strips of candied orange peel dipped in dark chocolate.

I called these shortcut orangettes because I made them with candied orange rind I had bought at Ali Baba's Cave for Bakers. I could have called them Cheater's Orangettes too, but I thought it somewhat disparaging. You could candy your own of course, it's excellent karma: I myself did it once, using this recipe, and found it to be not very difficult, just a little time-consuming.

Shortcut orangettes on the other hand are a breeze to make, not to mention a real pleasure: few things in life can compare to standing above a bowl of melted chocolat de couverture dropping handfuls of candied orange strips in it, watching them immerse themselves lusciously in their chocolate spa, scooping them out with your handy-dandy chocolate dipping fork, then setting them out delicately to dry on a shiny feuille guitare, maybe with a little soft music in the background.

Nice and chewy, smooth and chocolaty with a hint of bitterness, these have to be the easiest chocolate bites you can make. The chocolate/orange pairing, a small miracle in and of itself, makes them the perfect fancy companions to a cup of strong espresso. On their own, simply nibbled on while you read a magazine? It works too.

Shortcut Orangettes

- 230 g candied orange rind
- 200 g good-quality dark chocolate, preferably chocolat de couverture

(Makes 70 orangettes.)

Cut the candied orange rind in 5-cm (2-inch) sticks. Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler or in a heat-resistant bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water. Put a handful of orange rind sticks in the melted chocolate and stir to coat.

Using a fork (a chocolate dipping fork if you have one), lift the orangettes one by one out of the chocolate, giving them a few seconds to drain the excess chocolate, and deposit on a sheet of parchment paper, or better yet, a feuille guitare (a special sheet of plastic that chocolate makers use to ensure a shiny finish).

Let cool until the chocolate has completely hardened, and package up in pretty crystal bags.