Recipe for Marmalade:
(Makes 6 x 450g jars)
1kg Of Seville Oranges the best you can find. If you can’t find them add a lemon and grapefruit to the oranges🍊 you have. Use less sugar.
1 Lemon
2Kg preserving sugar (granulated sugar is fine for Marmalade there is enough pectin in the pith for thickening)
A few lovely pics before I share the recipe on how to make it!
Method:
You can print out the recipe here
Wash and dry the whole fruit.
Pour 2 litres of cold water into a saucepan and add the squeezed juice from the fruit.
Discard the lemon skin and pips. (Or keep if you aren’t using Saville Oranges)
Scrape the orange pith and pips out and place in the center of a large piece of muslin or add to a muslin bag. Draw up the corners and tie together with plain string into a secure parcel. Add to the pan.
Cut the remaining orange peel into strips and add to the pan.
Boil, Simmer, Reduce, Concentrate The Flavour
Bring to the boil, simmer for 2 hours until reduced by half to (1.25 litres approx) The peel should now be soft.
Squeeze as much juice from the pith and pips bag this will help to thicken your marmalade squeeze as much as you can out of the muslin. Then discard the contents of the muslin. You can wash and reuse your muslin bag.
Make It Sweet
Add the sugar (add less sugar if you are not using Saville Oranges) and heat gently until completely dissolved
Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for at least 15 minutes until the setting point is reached.
You can test the setting point by spooning a little of the Marmalade on to a cool refrigerated saucer. After a few seconds push the marmalade with your fingertip. If it wrinkles, it has reached its setting point. If not, keep your marmalade boiling for 5 minutes and test again. The setting point can be a little tricky to determine the first time you make marmalade or jam. The temperature must get to 105C. It must not get too far above otherwise, you will end up with boiled sweets! Trust me I’ve learned from experience. Runny Marmalade a syrupy delight and solid marmalade almost a hard boiled sweet. Although it wasn’t the end of the world Simon just mixed in some whiskey to loosen the mixture and it went down a treat with guests! To get it just right invest in a jam thermometer with a clip for your pan. Perfect jams and marmalades every time! See pics below.
Allow the marmalade to rest for 5 minutes. Don’t burn yourself it’s very HOT.
Leave to settle for 15minutes and remove any scum that may have formed on the surface (see pic below).
Prepare Your Annual Marmalade Stash
Spoon into sterile jars (methods of decanting below)
To sterilise wash jars with soapy water, rinse, dry and pop into the oven at 100C for 10 minutes. You could also steam the jars in a pan if preferred. Touching the outer jar only place on your worktop ready for the marmalade pour.
Note the spooning into jars can be a bit tricky with hot sticky marmalade. You can use a wide funnel, large ladle. Never pour you don’t want a combination of hot splashing Marmalade and heavy pans. My preferred method is to ladle into a large pouring jug. Wipe the drips and pour carefully into jars on the worktop.
Add a waxed paper or greaseproof paper disk and screw the tops on. Leave to cool. Store in the pantry.
