Orange Marmalade
A properly balanced, not-too-sweet marmalade made the straightforward way, simmering whole sliced oranges until the peel is tender before the sugar goes in.
Serves: Makes about 4 jarsTime: 120 min
Made with Orange
Ingredients
- 1kg oranges (about 5-6), washed
- 1 lemon, washed
- 2 litres water
- 1.2kg sugar
Method
- 1.Halve the oranges and lemon, scoop out the pips and set them aside, then thinly slice the fruit, peel and all.
- 2.Put the sliced fruit, any reserved pips (tied in a small piece of muslin or a tea bag if you have one, as they carry extra pectin) and the water into a large pot.
- 3.Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the peel is completely soft and can be easily pressed with a spoon. This step can't really be rushed; peel that isn't fully tender now stays tough and chewy in the finished marmalade no matter how long it's boiled afterwards.
- 4.Remove the muslin bag of pips, squeezing it to get any pectin back into the pot. Add the sugar and stir over low heat until fully dissolved.
- 5.Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, until it reaches setting point on a cold plate.
- 6.Let it sit off the heat for 10 minutes so the peel distributes evenly rather than floating to the top, then ladle into warm, sterilised jars and seal.
A citrus glut rarely arrives all at once, but oranges keep well on the bench for a week or two, so there's no need to rush a half-sized batch; wait until there's enough for a proper one.