I have always loved orange marmalade in winter time. To me, it is invariably reminiscent of the holiday season and the traditional full English breakfast that I would occasionally rely on to boost me up on Sunday morning when I lived in England.
So I decided to make marmalade for Christmas...Pffew! I just finished my first batch of homemade marmalade. That was quite an ordeal. The preparation is a bit long and tedious. I spent about an hour and a half just washing, cutting, squeezing out the juice, putting the seeds and pith in a cheesecloth, and slicing the fruit...
I started with a recipe from the Classic Conran,
I started with a recipe from the Classic Conran,
...but ended up with the recipe from another cookbook, Simply British!
It took me two cookbooks indeed to get it right! After completing the recipe with the Classic Conran, I ended up with a marmalade that was a bit too rich in big chunks of orange rinds; so I had to seek for help with my French reference cookbook, published by Marabout, and specialized in simple English cuisine. I just needed to empty each jar that I had filled in with the marmalade, boil it all over again, add a small glass of flavourful Bourbon and process the whole with my hand blender. Better! The result is now sheer delight for our taste-buds, an explosion of delicate flavours...Traditionally savoured on a piece of buttery toast- it is both sweet and bitter, joyful and sinful. Well, it sets us in the mood for Christmas just with one quintessential mouthful!
Here are both recipes, in English and in French, so that you can choose which one you prefer yourself.
Let's start with the English version:
Let's start with the English version:
ORANGE MARMALADE
Kate Jenkins
Robertsewns Golden Stitch
Lambs Wool Crochet , 2009
33.5 x 33.5 cm (13.2 x 13.2 ins)
Kate Jenkins Robertsewns Golden Stitch
Lambs Wool Crochet , 2009
33.5 x 33.5 cm (13.2 x 13.2 ins)
This makes about 8 to 10 jars (enough for a year, pffew!)
6 bitter oranges (preferably organic!)
3 lemons
2 kg granulated sugar (I chose to go for 1kg white and 1kg brown granulated sugar)
1 hand-held blender
Wash the fruit well in warm water, using a stiff brush - a nail brush is ideal.
Place a square of cheesecloth in a basin to catch the seeds and pith. Cut the oranges and lemons in half and squeeze out the juice, putting the seeds in the cloth-lined basin. slice the fruit- thickly for chunky, or finely, or somewhere in between. Put the fruit, the juice and 2 quarts water in a large basin.
Tie up the seeds, add them to the fruit, and allow to soak for 24 hours.
Transfer the contents of the large basin to an 8-to10-quart kettle or pot -but not aluminum- and simmer gently for 2 to 2 1/2 hours (I would recommend that you use the hand-held blender to mix the fruit at that point, i.e before adding the sugar). Meanwhile, warm the sugar in a low oven.
When the fruit and water have reduced by half and the peel is tender, stir in the warm sugar to dissolve it then bring to the boil for about 10 minutes, or until it says "jam" on the sugar thermometer--220*F
Allow the marmalade to cool in the kettle for a good 20 minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal tightly.
6 bitter oranges (preferably organic!)
3 lemons
2 kg granulated sugar (I chose to go for 1kg white and 1kg brown granulated sugar)
1 hand-held blender
Wash the fruit well in warm water, using a stiff brush - a nail brush is ideal.
Place a square of cheesecloth in a basin to catch the seeds and pith. Cut the oranges and lemons in half and squeeze out the juice, putting the seeds in the cloth-lined basin. slice the fruit- thickly for chunky, or finely, or somewhere in between. Put the fruit, the juice and 2 quarts water in a large basin.
Tie up the seeds, add them to the fruit, and allow to soak for 24 hours.
Transfer the contents of the large basin to an 8-to10-quart kettle or pot -but not aluminum- and simmer gently for 2 to 2 1/2 hours (I would recommend that you use the hand-held blender to mix the fruit at that point, i.e before adding the sugar). Meanwhile, warm the sugar in a low oven.
When the fruit and water have reduced by half and the peel is tender, stir in the warm sugar to dissolve it then bring to the boil for about 10 minutes, or until it says "jam" on the sugar thermometer--220*F
Allow the marmalade to cool in the kettle for a good 20 minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal tightly.
Suggestion:At the end, add a small glass of whisky or bourbon! That's what I did, and I don't regret it..I added a small glass of U.S Kentucky Bourbon, Woodford Reserve, Distiller's Select by Labrot & Graham...and it gave to the marmalade such oomph! with its subtle flavours of smoked maple syrup, a 'je ne sais quoi' of strength and delicacy. In a word, it transcended it all!
And now in French:
MARMELADE D'ORANGES
Pour 5 kg de marmelade
1,5 kg d'oranges amères
2 kg de sucre
3,5 l d'eau
le jus de 2 citrons
Environ 8-10 pots de confiture, lavés et séchés au four à basse température.
Lavez les oranges. Coupez-les en 2 et pressez-en le jus. Prélevez le zeste. Retirez la peau blanche, les pépins et placez-les dans une toile de mousseline. Versez le jus dans une casserole avec le zeste, l'eau et la toile de mousseline. Portez à ébullition et laissez cuire 2 heures à feu très doux, jusqu'à ce que l'écorce des oranges soit tendre. Laissez refroidir une nuit.
Le lendemain, ôtez la toile de mousseline après l'avoir pressée.
1,5 kg d'oranges amères
2 kg de sucre
3,5 l d'eau
le jus de 2 citrons
Environ 8-10 pots de confiture, lavés et séchés au four à basse température.
Lavez les oranges. Coupez-les en 2 et pressez-en le jus. Prélevez le zeste. Retirez la peau blanche, les pépins et placez-les dans une toile de mousseline. Versez le jus dans une casserole avec le zeste, l'eau et la toile de mousseline. Portez à ébullition et laissez cuire 2 heures à feu très doux, jusqu'à ce que l'écorce des oranges soit tendre. Laissez refroidir une nuit.
Le lendemain, ôtez la toile de mousseline après l'avoir pressée.
Mixez le mélange (avec un mixer plongeant ou aussi dit mixer girafe!) en plusieurs fois, quelques secondes, jusqu,à ce que l'écorce soit réduite en petits morceaux irréguliers. Ajoutez le sucre, et ramenez très lentement à ébullition. Laissez bouillir 15 à 20 minutes. La marmelade est prête quand, lorsque vous prélevez un peu de confit d'oranges et le déposez dans une soucoupe, une couche se forme au bout de 1 à 2 minutes. Enlevez l'écume blance de temps en temps. Versez la marmelade dans les pots et attendez qu'elle soit complètement refroidie avant de les fermer.Suggestion:
En fin de cuisson , vous pouvez ajouter un petit verre de whisky...
Happy marmalade time to you and your family!
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