Chocolate-dipping candied clementines
I jarred some candied clementine rounds in syrup and am thinking about dipping them in chocolate... Recipes seem to call for candying the fruit, then immediately drying for up to several hours; can I just take mine out of the jar and proceed with the drying? (Even better, a way to skip the drying??) Any better ideas for combining the clementines with chocolate?
I would not skip the drying...the moisture under the chocolate will almost certainly affect its set and adherence. You certainly can dry the clementines overnight though. I would think uncovered in the fridge would be best, on a cooling rack if possible. The environment in the fridge is perfect for dehydration.
If your kitchen has a dry enough atmosphere you should be able to dry them on the counter, no need for the oven, although it would take longer. I would not have thought of using the fridge, mine always seems very damp. I imagine it would take even longer to dry in a cold environment because the evaporation would be reduced.
For alternative ways to combine them, if you're not bothered about still having whole pieces, I'd imagine you could drip dry the clementines and chop them and mix them up into a ganache but it's not something I've tried.
temper the chocolate, if you have time/inclination. That way it doesn't need to be kept in the fridge, and has a nice snap to it.
