In 1993 as part of my Women’s Institute Preservation Certificate, I was asked to make a batch of candied pineapple using tinned fruit. At that time, tinned fruit in syrup was stocked widely by supermarkets. Today in the UK, fruit is routinely canned in juice or “light syrup.” 
The consumer has now a challenge when seeking out fruit for candying and online ordering seems to be the only way to get it.
The candying process cannot be hurried and takes a couple of weeks to complete. Of all the preserves I make, candied fruit has the longest hands on time and the results are so much better than shop bought versions. The fruit is soaked and later simmered in a syrup that becomes heavier with the addition of sugar. The fruit also becomes heavier as it absorbs the extra doses of sugar. By the end of the process, the fruit is plump with a jellied bite, the flavour is fruity and sweet.
If you are new to candying, tinned fruit in syrup is a sensible choice as the fruit has already absorbed some of the sugar from the syrup in the tin and is more likely to plump up rather than shrivel during the candying process. Apricots, Pears, Peaches and Pineapple candy well, but don’t mix fruits in the same syrup as the fruit flavours will mix.
Candied Pineapple
Day 1
Start with 500g of drained fruit. Measure the syrup, there should be 250ml. If short, make the volume up with water. Cut each pineapple ring into four and put the quarters into a large bowl.
Pour the syrup into a saucepan and dissolve 200g of granulated sugar. Bring the pan to the boil and pour it over the pineapple quarters. Put a plate on top and make sure the fruit is submerged in the syrup. Leave the bowl in a cool place for 24hours.
Day 2
Pour the syrup into a saucepan. Dissolve 50g granulated sugar slowly without allowing the pan to boil. Pour the syrup over the fruit. Put a plate on top and make sure the fruit is submerged in the syrup.
Day 3
Repeat Day 2
Day 4
Repeat Day 3
Day 5
Pour the syrup into a saucepan and dissolve 75g granulated sugar. Add the fruit to the pan, bring to a boil then simmer the fruit for 3-4 minutes. Return the fruit and syrup to the bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 48hours.
Day 7
Pour the syrup into a saucepan and dissolve 75g granulated sugar. Add the fruit to the pan, bring to a boil then simmer the fruit until the temperature reaches 105-106C on a digital thermometer. This should take about 10 minutes, but check the temperature frequently once the syrup starts to simmer. Return the fruit and syrup to the bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 72 hours.
Day 10
Drain off the syrup and put the pieces of pineapple on a wire rack over a baking tray.
Dry the fruit in a very cool oven, 50C, the door ajar with a wooden spoon, turning the fruit occasionally. Alternatively, put the fruit on a tray in an Air Fryer and set the programme to Dehydrate (60C) for 24-36 hours, turning every 6 hours. Depending on the size of the Air Fryer more than one batch of fruit will be dried at a time. When dry, store the fruit in a ziplock bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
Christmas Brioche
In 2023 I joined a Festive Baking day at The Pony Chew Valley Cookery School. During the day we made a large Christmas Brioche with candied fruit added to the dough. This year I repeated the recipe, making individual, small brioches, adding my own candied pineapple. I also glazed the tops of the brioches with syrup leftover from the candying process.
Chocolate Bark
A molten mixture of white, milk or dark chocolate spread out on a lined baking tray and decorated with dried fruit and nuts is a popular and easy edible gift to make. This year I found a recipe in Sainsbury’s Magazine for a Pina Colada White Chocolate Bark using dried pineapple.
https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/chocolate/pina-colada-bark
Once set, I divided the bark into shards and stored them in my fridge in cellophane bags, ready to give as gifts to family and friends.
Chocolate Panforte
In 2023 and 2024, the Guild of Food Writers awarded their Recipe Writer Award to Mark Hix. Mark’s recipes are for me a source of inspiration as well as being reliable. In 2023 a series of his festive recipes included both candied peel and candied pineapple in a Chocolate Panforte. At the time of publication it was too late for me to make candied fruit ready for the festive season. This year, I decided to make candied peel and candied pineapple ahead of December. Also, I thought the Chocolate Panforte would be the edible gift par excellence for family and friends. Of course, I had never made a Panforte so it was a learning curve and a challenge, something I seem to enjoy.
If you are curious to know more about the origins of Panforte and a range of recipes, Felicity Cloake, another stellar member of the Guild of Food Writers published a comprehensive guide to Panforte in 2017.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/07/how-to-make-the-perfect-panforte
For the definitive method for making candied peel using a pressure cooker I recommend a recipe within a post about Christmas Puddings, by the third august member of the Guild of Food Writers, Catherine Phipps.
https://catherine244.substack.com/p/christmas-pudding