Every Part of the Grapefruit

As I was peeling my grapefruit yesterday, I thought, "What a waste to throw away all that rind." So, I resolved to do something with it. I looked up a candied peel recipe and realized I could also get a grapefruit-flavored simple syrup out of it. So, I de-pithed the rind with a vegetable peeler and threw it in a small saucepan with about ⅓ cup of sugar and 1½ cups of water, along with 1 teaspoon of whole black pepper grains and three 1-inch sticks of cinnamon. As I boiled this mixture, the house filled with a wonderful bright, spicy aroma that lasted all afternoon.

After about half an hour, the mixture had reduced down to a ½ cup of liquid (more or less). At this point, I fished out the rind and let it cool and dry out on a sheet of aluminum foil. I should have greased the foil or used wax paper because the rind stuck. But after an hour or so, I had some delicious, chewy, sweet bits of citrus. I haven't found a use for these yet. I tried coating some with chocolate, but the chocolate overpowered the rind. I think the right pairing is probably some dairy product, like yogurt or crème anglaise, but right now, they're sitting in the fridge.

The leftover syrup was a lurid yellow, and after letting it cool, I decided to pour in some leftover red wine (about half a bottle) and strain. This made a drink that was a cross between sangria and mulled wine. But unlike these two drinks, the integrity of the wine is also preserved, so the result is more complex than either. I'm sure this recipe is not new, but I was pleased with the outcome nonetheless. Now, the question is: what to call it?

2008-06-16: I made another batch last week with both orange and grapefruit peel, cooked for almost two hours. The peel was much more tender, and today I found it tastes great on top of toast with cream cheese.