Marmalade
This is the one thing that Kim and I share an equal love for. There are some foods that I like to like, not because they’re good for you but because, for some reason, they make me feel cool. Marmalade makes me feel very sophisticated (I like eating it in front of people). I know how it needs to be spread and the ratio of butter to marmalade. That is one-part marmalade and three-part butter. I don’t like my marmalade too sweet either I like to keep as much of that bitterness from the Seville’s as possible and I want my chunks large. It’s like taking your coffee black and keeping the bits in your juice, it’s real. There is nothing on this world that I love more than starting my morning with a thick slice of brown toast heavily spread with butter and a light spoon of my homemade marmalade. However I don’t often do this as I like to go to hot yoga in the morning and you cant eat before it, which is a bugger considering it’s a big pleasure (well pleasures are more pleasurable when less frequent). And I’m getting into porridge (also feels cool).
So to make marmalade...
1kilo Seville oranges
3 lemons
1.2 kilos of demerara sugar
1. Cut in half and juice all your fruit. Put the pips into some cheesecloth and tie with string. (I have used tights before).
2. Now cut up the orange peel as thick or thin as you desire. It helps to have a good sharp knife. I wouldn’t cut any thicker than ½ an inch.
3. Now into a large saucepan add your peel and bag of pips. Add 2.5 litres of cold water and leave to soak over night.
4. After soaking bring the peel, pips and water to the boil, simmer for 2 hours. This will soften the peel.
5. Remove the pip bag. Add the sugar and the juice from the oranges and lemons. Make sure the sugar has fully dissolved and bring up to a slow boil for approximately 20 minutes until it reaches 104 on your thermometer. Or if you don’t have a thermometer use a glass of ice cold water and drop in a teaspoon of your marmalade if its starts to congeal (thicken and go gloopy) its ready.
6. Take off the heat and leave for 10 minutes to cool.
7. Gently stir and pour into your sterilised jars.
You now have a delicious load of marmalade and a beautiful smelling Kitchen. Get some one round to witness this.
Kim makes marmalade the same way but does not bother with the pips in the cheese cloth...
I made some marmalade jam once and no one told me it should be made in an aluminum jam-making pot like the one in your photo. The process completely ruined a perfectly good le creuset pot which cost me £55 - I have never made maralade since but instead receive gifted marmalade from my sister Georgina, who makes a whisky marmalde that's to die for. Lovely post ladies, keep 'em coming x
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