Bergamot spoon sweet is one of the most aromatic and distinctive traditional desserts of Greek cuisine.
Bergamot has an intense, refined aroma and a slightly bitter taste, which makes it stand out among all citrus fruits.
The Greek countryside, especially in winter, is rich in citrus fruits.
Home gardens as well as orchards fill with ripe fruit. Especially if you have access to bergamot from a home garden, ideally if it is unsprayed and without intensive watering, seize the opportunity!
These bergamots make the best spoon sweet.
Bergamot spoon sweet deserves its place on our table. It balances perfectly between sweetness and subtle bitterness and is an elegant treat either on its own or served with yogurt or ice cream.
Ingredients
- ½ kg bergamot peels (from 5–6 fruits, depending on size)
- 800 g sugar
- 1 cup water (220 ml)
- 1 cup of the water used to boil the peels (220 ml)
- 2 tbsp glucose syrup
- juice of half a lemon
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Instructions
Wash the bergamots well with water.
Use the fine side of a grater to remove most of the zest.
How to Peel Bergamot Easily
With a sharp knife remove the stem area at the top of the fruit as well as the bottom part.
Score the fruit vertically with the knife in 4–5 places and remove the peels with your hands.
Bergamot is a fairly firm fruit and requires steady movements to separate the peel from the flesh. Use your fingers to detach the peels, which will help prevent the flesh from coming off with them.
How to Remove the Bitterness from Bergamot
Fill a pot with plenty of water and add the peels.
Boil the peels for 12–15 minutes.
Keep one cup of the boiling water and discard the rest.
Place the boiled peels in a large bowl filled with water.
Leave them in the water for at least 6–8 hours. Then discard the water.
If you want the bergamot to lose more bitterness and have a sweeter taste, add fresh water again and soak the peels for another 4–5 hours.
Remove the peels from the water.
Roll each peel into a spiral and secure it with a toothpick.
Add the water, the reserved boiling liquid from the bergamot, the sugar, and the glucose syrup to a pot. Bring to a boil.
Add the rolled peels to the pot and boil the bergamot for 15–18 minutes, until you can pierce the peels and see that they have softened.
Remove from the heat and let it rest for 8–10 hours.
How to Properly Set the Syrup
Remove the peels from the syrup and place them on a plate.
Continue boiling the syrup until it thickens.
Make sure the syrup has set properly by placing a drop on your fingernail.
If the drop holds and does not run, the syrup is properly set.
You can also drop a few drops of syrup onto a small plate and leave it for one minute.
If the syrup is ready, the drops will not spread and will move slowly across the plate when you tilt it.
Add the peels back into the thickened syrup.
Squeeze in the lemon juice.
Let the sweet rest for 10 minutes.
Place it in sterilized jars and store it in a cupboard for several months.
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