Marmalade Quick Easy And Super Versatile Food

SHORTCUT SEVILLE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Boil the whole oranges in 2 litres water until very soft - it will take about 2 hrs. Pour the liquid into a preserving pan or a large saucepan.
• Cut the oranges into wedges, flick out the pips with the point of a knife then gently squeeze the wedges over the pan as they'll be very juicy. Thinly slice them, then add to the pan with jam sugar. Dissolve over the heat then boil for 7-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until a little of the mixture dropped onto a chilled plate sets and wrinkles when you push your finger through. Leave to settle for 15 mins before potting into sterilised jars.

QUICK AND EASY MARMALADE

Steps:

• Line a bowl with a square of muslin. Wash the 750g (1lb 10oz) oranges and 1 lemon. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Place the juice in a pressure cooker and the pips into the muslin lined bowl.
• Scoop out any remaining flesh with a teaspoon and add to the pips in the bowl.
• Cut the orange shells in half again. Divide into two or three batches and chop in a food processor using the pulse button.
• Place the chopped peel in the pressure cooker and add 300ml (½ pt)water. Tie the muslin up into a bag containing the pips and flesh and add to the pan.
• Close the pressure cookery and bring up to high pressure. Once the pressure has been reached set a time and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to release slowly.
• Remove the lid. Lift out the muslin bag and squeeze as much as you can out of the bag by pressing between two saucers.
• Add 1 kg (1lb2oz) preserving or golden granulated sugar and heat gently stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 10 minutes then test for a set by placing a small spoonful of marmalade on a cold saucer and allowing to cool. The marmalade will wrinkle when pushed with your finger once setting point has been reached. If a set has not been reached then boil for another 5 minutes and test again. Repeat until a set is reached.
• Remove from the heat and allow to stand for about 15 minutes.
• Stir again then pot into sterilised jars. Seal and allow to cool.

ABSOLUTELY FAIL-PROOF EASY MARMALADE

Steps:

• Take the 6 citrus fruits and wash well, removing any blemishes.
• Cut into quarters, and place in a food processor.
• Chop until finely ground, skin and all.
• For an optional extra add some crystallized ginger.
• Boil with the 1 kilo of sugar, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 20 minutes.
• It splatters, so be careful.
• This quantity fills about 5 x 340 gram jars.
• Do not double the ingredients, rather make two batches.
• It never goes dark and lasts for up to 6 months in the refrigerator without the need to sterilize the bottles.

MARMALADE: QUICK, EASY AND SUPER VERSATILE!

Steps:

• Ruby Red Grapefruit and Orange Marmalade Prepare glass jars or plastic containers with lids by washing them in hot soapy water or in a dishwasher. Recipe makes 5 cups of jam. Number of jars you'll need will depend on the size of your jars. Remove the colored part of peel from the oranges and grapefruit using a vegetable peeler or zester. I like to use the kind shown in the photos above. It works perfectly to remove small strips of zest. If you use a vegetable peeler, cut the peel into thin slivers, or finely chop. Peel and discard the remaining white part of peel from the oranges. Coarsely chop the orange and grapefruit, discarding any membranes and saving the juice. Mix fruit and juice with the zest and lemon juice. Measure 2-⅓ cups of the fruit mixture into a large microwave-safe bowl. If you have extra, discard or save for another use. (See note.) Add sugar and stir for 1 minute. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir well and microwave again for another 2 minutes. Stir until all sugar crystals are dissolved, another minute or two. Taste, and if mixture is still "grainy," microwave again for another minute or two to dissolve any remaining sugar crystals. Combine the water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Allow mixture to boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add to fruit mixture and stir for 3 minutes. Fill all containers to within ½" of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers and cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Marmalade is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze up to one year.

ULTIMATE SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Put the whole oranges and lemon juice in a large preserving pan and cover with 2 litres/4 pints water - if it does not cover the fruit, use a smaller pan. If necessary weight the oranges with a heat-proof plate to keep them submerged. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for around 2 hours, or until the peel can be easily pierced with a fork.
• Warm half the sugar in a very low oven. Pour off the cooking water from the oranges into a jug and tip the oranges into a bowl. Return cooking liquid to the pan. Allow oranges to cool until they are easy to handle, then cut in half. Scoop out all the pips and pith and add to the reserved orange liquid in the pan. Bring to the boil for 6 minutes, then strain this liquid through a sieve into a bowl and press the pulp through with a wooden spoon - it is high in pectin so gives marmalade a good set.
• Pour half this liquid into a preserving pan. Cut the peel, with a sharp knife, into fine shreds. Add half the peel to the liquid in the preserving pan with the warm sugar. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, for about 10 minutes, then bring to the boil and bubble rapidly for 15- 25 minutes until setting point is reached.
• Take pan off the heat and skim any scum from the surface. (To dissolve any excess scum, drop a small knob of butter on to the surface, and gently stir.) Leave the marmalade to stand in the pan for 20 minutes to cool a little and allow the peel to settle; then pot in sterilised jars, seal and label. Repeat from step 3 for second batch, warming the other half of the sugar first.

HOW TO MAKE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Squeeze the oranges and keep their juice. Scrape out the pith and pips with a metal spoon, again keeping everything. Juice the lemon, too, then put the lemon shells, orange pith and seeds into a square of muslin about 30 x 30cm, and tie it with string. Leave the string long - that way you can tie it to your wooden spoon, which will make it easier to lift out later.
• Cut each orange shell into 3 petals, then finely shred with a large, sharp knife. Put the peel into a preserving pan, tip in the juices, then sit the bag in the juice. Pour in 2.4 litres/4 pints cold water and leave to steep overnight.
• Next day, leaving the bag in the pan, bring the liquid to the boil, then simmer for about 1 hr, or until the peel is soft and translucent and the liquid has reduced by one third. Turn off the heat and lift the muslin bag into a large bowl. Leave the bag until it's cool enough to handle.
• While you wait, get your jars ready. Wash 8 x 450g/1lb jars (or the equivalent volume larger or smaller jars) in hot, soapy water, then leave in a low oven to dry completely. Keep them warm. Alternatively, if you've got a dishwasher you can run the jars and lids though a hot cycle, then let them dry. Put a saucer in the freezer at this point, too.
• Now for the messy bit - I like to don a pair of rubber gloves at this point. Hold the bag over its bowl, and squeeze and pummel it until you've extracted every last drop of juice and gunge through the muslin. This stuff contains the pectin - the crucial ingredient to the perfect set. You can now throw away what's left in the bag and wash the muslin, ready to re-use.
• Stir the contents of the bowl, plus all the sugar, into the pan. Stir every so often over a very gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Don't boil before all the sugar has melted.
• Slowly bring the pan to the boil. After 10 mins boiling, spoon a small blob of marmalade onto the cold saucer. Leave for a few secs, then push the marmalade with your finger. If it wrinkles, it's ready. If not, boil for 10 mins more then try again. Even if you have a sugar thermometer (look for 105C or where it says 'jam'), I'd still recommend the saucer test. If yours seems to be taking a while don't worry, it can take anything from 10 mins to 45 mins for marmalade to reach setting point, depending on your oranges. Skim off any scum that comes to the surface in the meantime.
• Once you've reached setting point, ladle the marmalade into the warm jars and seal. A funnel is really handy if you have one. The marmalade will keep for up to 1 year in a cool, dark place, and for up to a month in the fridge once opened.