Glace Fruits

I love Christmas, it's my favorite holiday. So this year I decided to make a Christmas Cake and a Plum Pudding. In order to make both of these I need glace fruits. I remember watching a Nigella Lawson video where she mentioned that one year she started making her glace fruits in July for her Christmas Cake. This gave me the idea of trying to make them myself. I do realise that it would be a lot easier to just go to the store and buy it. But at the same time if I can make it at home then why not do it. I'm not totally sure if I would make these again, it isn't very hard but I think store bought convenience might win out.

I've read several different recipes about glaceing fruits at home. Some take a couple hours other take weeks. Mine take took 2 weeks, give or take a day. The thing about these is that everyday you spend maybe 10 minutes fiddling with them then they soak in their syrup. I've yet to try these so I'm not totally sure how they turned out from a taste stand point. I'm waiting to make my cakes before I try them. Visually I really like them, I glaceed all my fruits together so the juices from all the fruit blended together and made a orange-pink colour. I used clementines, plums, pears, lime peel, kiwi and blackberries but you can use whatever fruit you wish.

You will need:
1 1/2 pounds fruit
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup clear corn syrup

1) Peel and cut your fruits.

2) In a sauce pan combine 1/2 cup sugar, the water and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until mixture reaches 180 degrees.
3) Add fruit and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes
4) Pour into a bowl and allow to steep for 24 hours

5) Strain fruits, keeping the liquid. Place the liquid in a sauce pan and add 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until it reaches 180 degrees.
6) Repeat for 3 days

7) Add the fruits along with the liquid and 1/2 cup sugar to a sauce pan and cook until it reaches 180 degrees. Remove from heat and put back into bowl. Let steep for at least a week or up to 3.
8) Preheat oven to 150 degrees Centigrade. Remove fruits and discard liquid. Place fruits on a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Place in oven and dry until fruits are dry but still a little sticky, about 3-4 hours depending on the fruit.

9) Place in a container with a lid until ready to use

Tips
1) When drying place like fruits/ thicknesses on the same cookie sheet.
2) If you don't want the colours to bleed candied each fruit separate.
3) For garnishing, heat some water in a sauce pan. Place several fruits in the water for 5 seconds, then roll in sugar and leave to dry.