(serves 8)

This recipe can be cooked two ways. The first involves a shorter cooking time producing shapely mandarins. The second option, a longer cooking time, produces squashy mandarins but is more flavoursome. Serve with Luxury Muesli

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• Into a medium-size saucepan add water, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon quill and zest.
• Place over a medium heat and stir till sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil.
• Temporarily remove from the heat and add mandarins to syrup. Sit three layers of baking paper directly on top of mandarins and place a plate over the top to weight the fruit down.
• Return saucepan to heat and bring back to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook mandarins for 10 minutes or till they have softened but still have their shape. For a more intense flavour and thicker syrup cook for total of 20 minutes but the mandarins will begin to lose their shape.
• Remove from heat and leave mandarins to cool in the syrup.
• Refrigerate till required. Any left over syrup retain for drizzling over ice cream.