Orange Marmalade

Makes 2 quarts

 

 

Ingredients:

8 Seville, Blood or Cara Cara oranges

 

Cook’s Note:  Seville oranges will yield a bright, golden orange marmalade.  Blood oranges will produce a dark, burnished color.  Cara Cara oranges yield a darker marmalade with sweeter tones.

 

2 Cara Cara oranges

2 lemons

2 quarts cold water

6 – 7 cups (approximately) Turbinado sugar

 

Directions:

Freeze a glass plate.

 

Wash the oranges and lemons thoroughly in cold water.

 

Remove the zest from the oranges and lemons.  Retain the zest in a separate bowl from the pulp.

 

Cook’s Note: A peeler is useful in removing the zest from the whole fruit and minimizing the amount of pith that must be removed from the zest.    Any pith still attached to the zest can be removed by scraping the pith off with a small knife.

 

Remove the pith from the peel, retaining the zest. Discard pith.  

 

Cut the zest into thin slivers no more than 1/2″ long. Set aside.  

 

Roughly chop pulp, retaining all of the juice and removing pips.  Place in a bowl.

 

Cover and chill pulp and juice.  

 

Put the orange and lemon zest in a saucepan with 4 cups of cold water.  

 

Bring zest in water to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes.

 

Drain water from the zest.

 

Repeat process: Place 4 cups of cold water in the zest saucepan.  Add zest.

 

Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes.

 

Drain water from the zest. Retain zest.

 

Place 1 cup of sugar and 1 2/3 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil; stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.

 

Add the blanched zest to the sugar syrup.

 

Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool.  When it is cool,  place on a counter for 24 hours at room temperature.

 

Day 2: After the 24 hours has passed, drain the zest mixture, reserving the syrup in a saucepan.  

 

Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the reserved syrup and bring to a boil; stirring until the sugar dissolves.

 

Add the previously drained zest to the sugar syrup.

 

 

Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool.  Then place on a counter for 24 hours at room temperature.

 

Day 3: After the second 24 hours has passed, drain the zest mixture; again reserving the syrup in a saucepan.  

 

Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the reserved syrup and bring to a boil; stirring until the sugar dissolves.

 

Add the drained zest to the sugar syrup.

 

 

Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the pan of syrup and zest to cool.  Then place the pan of syrup and zest on a counter for 24 hours at room temperature.

 

Day 4: After 24 hours, drain the zest mixture and reserve the syrup in a saucepan.  

 

Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the reserved syrup and bring to a boil; stirring until the sugar dissolves.

 

Add the reserved zest to the sugar syrup.

 

Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool.  Again allow the cooled mixture to remain on a counter for 24 hours at room temperature.

 

Day 5:

Combine zest, sugar syrup and pulp in a large bowl.  

 

Use a one cup measure to determine how many cups of zest, syrup, pulp and juice are in the mixture.  Measure into stock pot.

 

 

Add 1/2 cup (for a tart marmalade) to 2/3 cup (for a semi-sweet marmalade) sugar for every cup of the citrus mixture Minus 2 Cups of Sugar (which is already in the zest sugar syrup).

 

Bring mixture to a boil; folding the mixture into itself constantly until the juices are released and then stirring frequently.

 

 

Cook’s Note: The sugar may burn to the bottom of the pan if the mixture is not frequently stirred.

The sweetness of oranges varies with the weather conditions during the year.  Additionally, the intensity of the sugar increases as the mixture thickens. These two factors will impact on the final taste of the marmalade.  Marmalade is meant to be tart – not sour.  Wait to taste the marmalade until the mixture has begun to thicken.  Place some of the mixture on a spoon and Allow it to Cool.  Then taste and add sugar only if you believe it is necessary.

 

 

Cook until the mixture thickens (reduces to about 1/2 to 1/3 of what it was when the process began); stirring constantly. This will take between 30 and 40 minutes.  The color will deepen.  

 

Test marmalade by placing a spoonful on the frozen plate.  Push it around slightly. When the marmalade it finished it will leave a thick film on the plate.

 

Place in sterilized canning jars.  Tighten sterilized lids and allow to cool to room temperature.  It may be necessary to tighten the lids again once the jars have cooled. 

 

Chill at least 24 hours before serving.  Keep chilled.