Cooking
You know how sometimes a whole crop of citrus is destroyed due to frost or unseasonably cold weather? If my mom had her way, none of that fruit would go to waste. My mother is the queen of finding a use for everything. I suppose it's a kind of variation on turning lemons into lemonade or utilitarianism.
Sadly her amazingly prolific orange tree took quite a hit this year. And while she questions if the tree will survive, she went ahead and harvested the seemingly inedible fruit and made absolutely delicious marmalade out of it. She may not have actual Seville oranges, but she certainly has a solution for unripe oranges. Their tangy sour bite is mellowed in the marmalade but brightens up your morning English muffin, toast or scone.
My mom's recipe came from the Complete American Jewish Cookbook, a book I don't have, but she made a few changes to it. I'd never made marmalade before, but having a recipe that didn't require pectin and processing jars made me game to try it. Making your own marmalade means you can make it as thick or thin as you like and as sweet or bitter as you like. Around here we like it plenty bitter and a tad thin so it spreads easily. While bitter oranges are a very seasonal item marmalade is happily enjoyed all year long.
Bitter Orange Marmalade
(more a formula than a recipe)
Ingredients
Ripe or unripe oranges
Sugar
Instructions
Wash and dry the fruit. Cut unpeeled into quarters lengthwise then slice very thin crosswise. Measure fruit, place in a large pot and add twice as much water. Let stand overnight.
The next day, bring to boil covered then uncover and simmer 1 hour. Let stand 24 hours.
Measure the fruit and liquid and add no more than 1 1/2 cups of sugar per 2 cups of fruit mixture. Boil until it reaches the consistency you like, probably between 10 and 20 minutes or so, it will thicken slightly as it cools.
Sterilize jars in whichever method you prefer. (I wash them with soapy water then fill them halfway with water and microwave for about 5 minutes, until the water boils, remove with potholders and empty them just before filling.) Pour marmalade into hot jars and seal. If your jars do not seal airtight, just keep the jam in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
- Orange Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Winter is citrus season. I had a bounty of blood oranges and tangerines harvested from various backyards, so I made a mixed citrus marmalade. It’s a little soft and fairly bitter which is the way I like it. In addtion to being good on toast, scones...
- All About Kumquats
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- Peach Walnut Vinaigrette Recipe
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- Spiced Buttermilk Scones With Marmalade
I don't think I've made any breakfast treats for Matt since before the holidays. A girl can burn out after two big family meals, you know. But Wednesday night, I found a recipe for Spiced Buttermilk Scones with Marmalade, and knew that not only...
Cooking
Bitter Orange Marmalade Recipe
You know how sometimes a whole crop of citrus is destroyed due to frost or unseasonably cold weather? If my mom had her way, none of that fruit would go to waste. My mother is the queen of finding a use for everything. I suppose it's a kind of variation on turning lemons into lemonade or utilitarianism.
Sadly her amazingly prolific orange tree took quite a hit this year. And while she questions if the tree will survive, she went ahead and harvested the seemingly inedible fruit and made absolutely delicious marmalade out of it. She may not have actual Seville oranges, but she certainly has a solution for unripe oranges. Their tangy sour bite is mellowed in the marmalade but brightens up your morning English muffin, toast or scone.
My mom's recipe came from the Complete American Jewish Cookbook, a book I don't have, but she made a few changes to it. I'd never made marmalade before, but having a recipe that didn't require pectin and processing jars made me game to try it. Making your own marmalade means you can make it as thick or thin as you like and as sweet or bitter as you like. Around here we like it plenty bitter and a tad thin so it spreads easily. While bitter oranges are a very seasonal item marmalade is happily enjoyed all year long.
Bitter Orange Marmalade
(more a formula than a recipe)
Ingredients
Ripe or unripe oranges
Sugar
Instructions
Wash and dry the fruit. Cut unpeeled into quarters lengthwise then slice very thin crosswise. Measure fruit, place in a large pot and add twice as much water. Let stand overnight.
The next day, bring to boil covered then uncover and simmer 1 hour. Let stand 24 hours.
Measure the fruit and liquid and add no more than 1 1/2 cups of sugar per 2 cups of fruit mixture. Boil until it reaches the consistency you like, probably between 10 and 20 minutes or so, it will thicken slightly as it cools.
Sterilize jars in whichever method you prefer. (I wash them with soapy water then fill them halfway with water and microwave for about 5 minutes, until the water boils, remove with potholders and empty them just before filling.) Pour marmalade into hot jars and seal. If your jars do not seal airtight, just keep the jam in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
- Orange Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Winter is citrus season. I had a bounty of blood oranges and tangerines harvested from various backyards, so I made a mixed citrus marmalade. It’s a little soft and fairly bitter which is the way I like it. In addtion to being good on toast, scones...
- All About Kumquats
Meet the latest object of my affection. Cute aren't they? But wait until you bite into them! They bite right back. If you like the tang of lemons and limes and sometimes find the sweetness of oranges a little cloying you're going to love kumquats....
- Peach Walnut Vinaigrette Recipe
When I was in high school I used to come into San Francisco's North Beach to hang out in cafes and drink Italian sodas and fancy coffee drinks. Torani syrups were a fixture in those cafes and they still are. But flavored syrups can actually be used...
- Jelly On The Fast-track
Black Currant Jelly with Biscuits I grew up watching my Grammy slave over a steaming hot stove each summer & fall, 'putting up' tomato sauce, pickles, pickled beets, jelly...pretty much anything that came out of the garden. I remember running...
- Spiced Buttermilk Scones With Marmalade
I don't think I've made any breakfast treats for Matt since before the holidays. A girl can burn out after two big family meals, you know. But Wednesday night, I found a recipe for Spiced Buttermilk Scones with Marmalade, and knew that not only...