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Wednesday 11 February 2009

Homemade Seville Orange Marmalade!

It has been a few days since my last post and I am glad to say we did manage to get food shopping last Saturday *see previous post*. Oh but besides foodie items I must tell you, a gorgeous stack of three cake tins in various sizes with little cupcake designs on them magically appeared in my trolley, does this ever happen to you when shopping or is it just me?!?! Sunday night was a white wash of snow again and all I have wanted to do in the last few days is snuggle up in a fluffy warm blanket and hibernate and be a couch potato!


Today felt appropriate for making a huge batch of marmalade – now Paddington Bear *a marmalade sandwich-eating bear from darkest Peru* would have been extremely pleased had he come calling at my door after potting-up my golden preserves! Seville oranges are short in season from January to February in the U.K. and such a treasured import from Spain. There are many combinations of different fruits you can use to make marmalade but in my opinion Seville oranges are, “the” royalty of oranges to create the best homemade marmalade! Their sharp juices blend magnificently to the sweetness of the added sugar in marmalade. I also like to stir through a very small quantity of Scotch whisky when the preserve has cooled enough - it isn’t a dominate flavour but enhances the flavour of the marmalade.


Seville Orange Marmalade close-up


Of course this delectable marmalade can be added in cakes, puddings etc but my favourite is spreading thickly onto warm buttered toast, oh such joy - long live homemade marmalade!


The Golden Preserve

Homemade Seville Orange Marmalade

Makes approx 6kg – I used 7 small kilner jars when potting up.

Ingredients

2kg (approx 4 lbs) of Seville oranges
4 lemons
4 litres (approx 8 pints) of water
4kg (approx 8 lbs) granulated sugar or preserving sugar
12tsp Scotch whisky (optional)


Method

Put all the fruit into bowl of warm water and give them a gentle scrub to remove any impurities from the skin. Place the fruit into a large saucepan/ preserving pan with a lid and add the water and a lid and simmer for about 1½ -2 hours until the skins are soft and can be effortlessly pierced with a skewer. Remove the fruit from the water and place into a large dish/plate, to cool. Keep the cooking water – you will need this later on.

Place all the sugar in a large roasting tin and place in a low oven to warm through; this helps the sugar to dissolve quicker.

When the fruit is cool enough to handle cut them in half scoop out the pulp and pips and place with any remaining juice and water from the dish back into cooking water. Cut the orange halves very finely into shreds, *I shred about halve the peel to use – its personnel choice how much*.

Bring the pan up to a boil for 15 minutes. Strain out the pulp, pips and put all the liquid back into the pan. Add the warmed sugar and the shredded peel to the pan then heat the mixture slowly, stirring until it has fully dissolved.

Bring to the boil and continue to boil rapidly without stirring for approx 30 minutes. This should take the marmalade to setting point, *see below for setting point*, if not keep boiling.

Leave the marmalade in the hot pan to cool at little it will show signs of the peel suspended in the mixture. Add the whisky if using and stir though.

Carefully ladle the marmalade into warm sterilised jars, seal the finished jars.

*To sterilise jars* – either by putting through the dish washer or washing the jars and lids and drying thoroughly before placing the jars in a roasting tin in a low oven for at least 30 minutes.

*Testing for setting point* - put a small spoonful of marmalade onto a very cold plate – I like to put two plates in the freezer for this. Allow to cool a little and then push it with your finger. The marmalade will wrinkle up when ready - see my post for Lemon & Lime Marmalade this post has pictures showing setting point.




22 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A delightful marmelade!

Cheers,

Rosa

Donna said...

Looks delicious sweetie!hughugs

Gloria Baker said...

Dear Rosie, this mermelate look really amazing!!! The colour is wonderful!! Gloria

AK Mom said...

I love orange marmalade...and yours really looks yummy! Your photos are really beautiful too! :) Great job, Rosie!

Andhra Flavors said...

delicious marmelade! you have a wonderful site and so many interesting recipes and cakes.

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I've just made a seville orange marmalde loaf using a jar of my Mother in Laws marmalade. It was delicious. I'll have to make my own next year

Recipeswap said...

wow u have stacked up the decadent marmalade...lovely color too.

Varsha Vipins said...

Rosie..Hats off for that marmalade..they look better than the store ones..yummoo..feel like grabbing it right away..:)

Anonymous said...

Oops !! Rosie,the marmelade looks so yummy that i feel like grabbing one bottle from the screen..the jars too look tempting..so,the new cake tins will be making an appearance here soon ? enjoy..

Elyse said...

your marmalade is just gorgeous!

Dee said...

We can't get seville oranges here. Sob.
Yours looks delish, and sounds incredible with the whisky in it.

Sanghi said...

yUMMY YUMMY.. DELICIOUS TREAT ROSIE...

Maria♥ said...

Couldn't agree with you more Rosie, the Seville Oranges are the BEST! Your Marmalade looks beautiful!!

Maria
x

The Blonde Duck said...

This reminds me of when I was little and I used to eat honey sandwiches because Winnie the Pooh did. :)

Emily said...

Oh Rosie. You are making me jealous. This marmalade looks fantastic. Mmm, I can just taste it schmeared on some toast.

Rachel said...

Mrmalade ona hot toast would be divine for me :)

Anne said...

Your marmelade looks delicious, could just eat a slice of toast smothered in it mmm

I became the owner of 2 very cute penguin cake tins at christmas, they must have jumped into the trolley all by themselves.....

Finla said...

Beautiful and delicious marmalade.
Can i have a pot Rosie, please please please :-)

Maria said...

I love orange in marmalades ... yet I can't eat some of the Greek spoon sweets made of citrus. Go figure!

Your recipe sounds divine and I love Paddington Bear ... delightful memories!

Sylvie said...

Rosie, where did you find the oranges? I've always wanted to try make my own marmelade with them. Youre looks wonderful, such a lovely colour.

Rosie said...

Thank you - thank you everyone for your kind words :0)

Anne, your cake tins sound wonderful and have a life of their own jumping into your trolley too *wink**wink*

H.C. you are most welcome to a jar sweetie but not sure how it would travel......

Spot on Maria :0)

Welcome Andhra & Varsha & Sanghi to my little blog it really is lovely to *meet* you all and I hope you will return back soon to view my creations :0)

Sylvie, I brought my Seville oranges from Sainsbury's they had netted sacks upon sacks in 1.5kg weights.

Best wishes Rosie x

Cakelaw said...

I am a lover of marmalade - and this looks like an especially good batch!