Zoe Francois makes Candied Carrot Peel

04/09/21 • 14 min

When life gives 'Zoë Bakes Cakes' author Zoë François veggie scraps, she makes this stunning cake decoration: spiced, candied carrot peel.

On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters.

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Zoë starts listing them at 1:03) before starting the episode.

Carrot Peel Candy

1 cup (240 milliliters) simple syrup
1 tablespoon orange blossom water, or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 pinch kosher salt
Peels from 2 pounds (900 grams) organic carrots, washed

Preheat the oven to 200°F / 95°C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the simple syrup, orange blossom water, and salt and warm to a gentle simmer. Add the carrot peels and cook just until the peels are turning translucent.
Strain the peels in a fine-mesh sieve and then lay them out on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the carrot peels start to curl up, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on their thickness. Then turn the oven temperature to 100°F / 40°C and bake until completely dry; this can take several hours.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 48 hours.

When life gives 'Zoë Bakes Cakes' author Zoë François veggie scraps, she makes this stunning cake decoration: spiced, candied carrot peel.

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Zoë starts listing them at 1:03) before starting the episode.

Carrot Peel Candy

1 cup (240 milliliters) simple syrup
1 tablespoon orange blossom water, or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 pinch kosher salt
Peels from 2 pounds (900 grams) organic carrots, washed

Preheat the oven to 200°F / 95°C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the simple syrup, orange blossom water, and salt and warm to a gentle simmer. Add the carrot peels and cook just until the peels are turning translucent.
Strain the peels in a fine-mesh sieve and then lay them out on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the carrot peels start to curl up, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on their thickness. Then turn the oven temperature to 100°F / 40°C and bake until completely dry; this can take several hours.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 48 hours.

Previous Episode

Thalia Ho makes Rose Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Thalia starts listing them at 2:49) before starting the episode.

Rose Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes sixteen to twenty cookies

21⁄4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (11⁄4 sticks + 1 teaspoon; 150 g) unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup + 1 teaspoon (170 g) light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon rosewater
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (170 g) coarsely chopped dark chocolate
1⁄2 cup (70 g) chopped walnuts
fleur de sel, for finishing
rose petals, optional

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Put the butter into a medium-size saucepan set over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring often, until melted. Pour into a large bowl then add in the sugars and whisk until combined. Whisk in the egg, followed by the rosewater and vanilla. Tip in the dry ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon until a soft dough has just begun to form, then mix in the chocolate and walnuts. Cover and chill until firm, 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, set racks in the lower and upper thirds of an oven. Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a scoop or tablespoon as a measure, portion out evenly sized amounts of the dough. If you’re using a spoon, use your hands to roll them into balls. Divide between the prepared sheets, placing them a few inches apart for spreading. You should be able to fit 8 to 10 per sheet. Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. You can set leftover dough balls aside to be baked off later, or, store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before baking from frozen.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets between the upper and lower thirds of the oven halfway through, until golden, the edges crisp, but the centers still soft. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for a few minutes, before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool further, before serving.

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Tell us all about it at [email protected].

Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Next Episode

Jenny Dorsey makes Barley Tofu With Chili Oil

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Jenny starts listing them at 3:02) before starting the episode.

Barley Tofu
Serves 2
Barley "tofu"

3/4 cup (100 grams) barley flour
1 3/4 cups (375 grams). water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Neutral oil, for frying

Chili oil

8 dried red chili peppers
1 tablespoon whole red Sichuan peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns
2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced
3 stalks scallion, stemmed and minced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup neutral oil
Kosher salt, to taste
White sugar, to taste
White vinegar, to taste

Barley "tofu"

Whisk together barley flour, water, and salt until smooth in a medium pot.
Heat mixture over medium heat, whisking continuously for at least 10 minutes, until it thickens considerably and the raw flour taste is gone.
Quickly transfer barley mixture to a small nonstick loaf pan or brownie pan, and place plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture.
Place a flat, heavy item directly on top of the plastic wrap to flatten the mixture until it’s smooth at top. Ideally, the mixture has now been pressed into a rectangular shape that meets the edges of the pan you are using.
Let rest 4 hours or more before unmolding and slicing.
Remove barley tofu from pan, and slice into rectangles or squares of your choosing.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until slick and shiny.
Add barley tofu and pan fry on all sides until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels, and serve with sauce(s) or garnish of your choice.

Chili oil

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toast chiles on a sheet tray, 1-2 minutes, until darkened but not black.
Remove and let cool completely. Pulverize into powder with a spice grinder.
Dry toast Sichuan peppercorn and white pepper in a small skillet over medium heat until lightly fragrant, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Let cool completely, and grind coarsely with a spice grinder.
Combine chilies with spices, ginger, scallion, garlic in a heat-proof container.
Heat oil in a small pot until it reaches 300°F.
Carefully pour oil over chili mixture. It will bubble and steam immensely. Stir to combine, and let cool completely.
Season with salt, sugar, and vinegar to taste.
Let chili oil infuse in refrigerator overnight before serving.

Is there a recipe you'd like to hear us make? Email it to us at [email protected].

Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/