expr:class='"loading" + data:blog.mobileClass'>

Friday 20 January 2012

marvellous marmalade


You can't flick through a cookery magazine or trawl your favorite food websites at this time of year without hitting upon a few recipes for the seasonal treat that is Seville Orange Marmalade. The Seville orange is incredibly bitter and not at all something that you want to eat in its natural state. But Seville Orange Marmalade is one of the best things that can be spread on toast and an incredibly useful ingredient for stirring into both sweet and savory dishes. This is the time of year for making it as the Seville oranges are only available for a few weeks in and around January. 

If you have no time for making it now, do not panic, Seville oranges freeze very well. So buy them when you see them and pop them in the freezer for making marmalade whenever it suits you during the year. I use Mary Berry’s recipe from 'The Aga Book' where the marmalade is made from frozen oranges brought to the boil and then left over night in the simmering oven*. I love this method as there is less mess and the fruit is far easier to cut up after the peel has softened.

This recipe makes 10lb/5kg, about  10 jars. They make a lovely gift to give to friends, but If you are not as marmalade mad as I am you can, of course, halve the recipe. Use the largest pan you have as the hot liquid bubbles up far higher than you might think and a hot marmalade eruption takes a LOT of cleaning up.


1½kg (3lb) Seville oranges
Juice of 2 lemons
3 kg (6lb) sugar
2 litres (4 pints) water

Method
Put the whole oranges in a large preserving pan and add the lemon juice. Cover with the water and bring to the boil.  Once boiling, place the pan carefully in the simmering oven and leave to simmer until the oranges are tender (2 hours or so for fresh fruit, overnight for frozen). Remove the oranges and leave to cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out all the pulp and pips and place these back into the water.  Bring to the boil and boil for 6 minutes.  Strain this liquid into a large bowl through a sieve and, using a spoon, force the pulp, which contains the pectin that will set the marmalade, through the sieve. Pour the liquid back into the preserving pan.

Cut the peel of the oranges as thinly or as thickly as you like your shreds (I like mine thin and seldom) and add these to the liquid, along with the sugar.  Bring the whole lot up to a rolling boil and boil until setting point is reached.  You can test for this with a sugar thermometer (105°c) or have a cold saucer from the freezer ready, allowed a little drop of the jam to cool on this saucer, the surface will wrinkle when pushed with your finger when it is ready.

Allow the marmalade to cool a little and then pour into sterilised jars. To sterilise your jars, wash in warm soapy water and rinse with hot water, then place on a baking tray in the simmering oven for twenty minutes. Alternatively run them through a cycle in the dishwasher and use directly from there.
There are loads of flavors to add to marmalade if you fancy experimenting. Here is a Whisky and Ginger version my fellow blogger Kristin, at Edible Ireland, made using a different method you might be interest be to read also...

*In a conventional oven heat to 120C and simmer unfrozen fruit for two hours, frozen for about an hour longer.



11 comments:

  1. What a beautiful colour and gorgeous pictures, as ever!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amee - so so pretty. I am holding you to that promised jar too. I do not know why but the minute I saw this image (first one) I was transported back to my Grandmothers kitchen with tea-lace curtains and lovely smells from her oven. Beautiful plate spoons - all really lovely xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loving that first image, such beautiful styling and composition. Pretty colours, like sunshine in a jar!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amee your photos are stunning! I'm tempted to try making my own marmalade having seen so many recipes floating around, it's something I've never done - or maybe I'll just look at your pictures ;-)
    Nicola x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful photos, as always. Going to try pick up some Seville oranges and try make my first batch of marmalade over the weekend.
    Adrienne

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your photos - absolutely gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. wow it looks so simple to make and the color is lovely

    ReplyDelete
  8. Having seen your amazing photos I am feeling inspired to make some marmalade myself very soon. Has to be one of the best colours to make you feel good. Great post ;-]

    ReplyDelete
  9. I absolutely love that first picture - stunning. I went to Seville a few years back and the oranges on the trees all round the streets are gorgeous. This is the perfect way to bottle that beauty...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Looks and sounds delicious! We don't have Seville oranges, but we have tons of sour oranges coming off our trees. I've already made candied orange peels (http://just-making-noise.blogspot.com/2011/12/candied-orange-spice-peels.html), but now I'm looking for marmalades. I am saving yours, might give it a try... love how easy it sounds! Beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder if the recipe would work with frozen lemons as I have loads on my tree? I had thought to freeze them to make some marmalade later on?

      Delete

Say hi, don't be shy!