Ultimate Seville Orange Marmalade Recipes

Steps:

• Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet or line it with a clean towel. Set aside. Place several small plates in the freezer to use later to test the consistency of the marmalade.
• Halve and juice the oranges. You should have about 2 cups. Place the juice in a large pot. Using your fingers, remove the membranes and seeds from the hollowed shells and tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth. Add the cheesecloth filled with the membranes and seeds to the pot containing the juice.
• Cut the peel of the oranges into matchsticks. Put the strips of peel into the pot with the juice and the cheesecloth containing the membrane and seeds. Pour over 4 cups water, or enough water so that the water and juice cover the strips of peel (it will depend on the size of your pot). Bring to a boil and then simmer gently until the peels are soft and tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Allow to cool until the bag of membranes and seeds is cool enough to squeeze, about 20 minutes (be careful, it will be hot!). (You can also cover it and leave the marmalade to sit in the refrigerator overnight.) Once cooled, squeeze the pectin-packed cheesecloth until "dry." Discard. Add the sugar and salt and stir well until dissolved.
• Return the peels and liquid to the heat. Bring to a boil over high heat until the marmalade reaches the jelling point, 220 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. The peels will be shiny and glass-like. (If you don't have a thermometer, you can also dribble a few drops of the marmalade on a frozen plate. If it crinkles when you run a finger through it and your finger leaves a clear line in the marmalade, it's ready. If not, check it every 5 minutes or so.)
• While the marmalade is cooking, place the canning rack in the canner and fill the pot with water; bring to a boil over high heat.
• Place 4 clean 1/2-pint jars (see Cook's Notes) on the prepared baking sheet. (This will help contain any dribbles or spills and prevent the jars from directly touching the metal.) For each jar, insert a canning funnel and carefully ladle in the marmalade, allowing at least 1/4 inch of headroom. Clean the rims of the jars with a clean, damp towel and tightly secure the lids.
• Using tongs, place the jars on the rack in the canner. The water should cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Cover the canner. Return the water to a boil and boil gently for 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the jars to a towel to cool. If the seal works and fits properly, the metal lid will be slightly concave within 24 hours of processing. Store the unopened jars of marmalade at room temperature for up to 1 year. Once the marmalade is opened, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Bring fruit, peels, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let cool. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 1 day).
• Freeze a plate. Uncover citrus mixture, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until thickest peel is tender, about 20 minutes. Measure mixture, and return to pan. For each cup of mixture, add 3/4 cup sugar.
• Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook until mixture registers 220 degrees to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. To test for doneness of marmalade: Drop a spoonful on frozen plate. If marmalade has a slight film when pushed with a finger, it's done. If it spreads out and thins immediately, continue cooking, and test again after a few minutes. Transfer marmalade to airtight containers, cover, and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

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.

Steps:

• Sliced fruit method
• Scrub the oranges, remove the buttons at the top of the fruit, then cut in half. Squeeze out the juice and keep to one side. Using a sharp knife, slice the peel, pith and all, into thin, medium, or chunky shreds, according to your preference. Put the sliced peel into a bowl with the orange juice and cover with 10 cups of water. Let soak overnight or for up to 24 hours.
• Transfer the whole mixture to a preserving pan, bring to a boil, then simmer slowly, covered, until the peel is tender. This should take approximately 2 hours, by which time the contents of the pan will have reduced by about one-third.
• Stir in the lemon juice and sugar. Bring the marmalade to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly until the setting point is reached (see p. 41), 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool for 8 to 10 minutes-a little longer if the peel is in very chunky pieces-then stir gently to disperse any scum. Pour into warm, sterilized jars and seal immediately (see pp. 21-22). Use within 2 years.
• Whole fruit method
• Scrub the oranges, remove the buttons at the top, and put the whole oranges into a preserving pan with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the orange skins are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork.
• When cool enough to handle, take the oranges out. Measure and keep the cooking water-you should have about 7 cups. Bring it up to this amount with more water if you have less, or boil to reduce if you have more.
• Cut the oranges in half and remove the seeds with a fork, flicking them into a bowl. Strain any juice from the seeds back into the cooking water, then discard the seeds.
• Meanwhile, cut up the orange peel and flesh into thick, medium, or thin shreds. Put the cut-up fruit into the strained cooking liquid. Add the lemon juice and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil and boil rapidly until the setting point is reached (see p. 41), 10 to 15 minutes.
• Let cool for 10 to 12 minutes-a little longer if you've cut the peel into very chunky pieces-then stir gently to disperse any scum. Pour into warm, sterilized jars and seal immediately (see pp. 21-22). Use within 2 years.
• Variations
• You can use both methods for making many other delicious marmalades:
• Lemon marmalade with honey
• Use 2 1/4 pounds of lemons instead of oranges, and omit the extra lemon juice. Replace 1 1/4 cups of the sugar with 3/4 cup of honey, adding it at the same time.
• Three-fruit marmalade
• Use a mixture of grapefruit, lemons, and sweet oranges to make a total of 2 1/4 pounds of fruit.
• Ruby red marmalade
• Both pink grapefruit and blood oranges make wonderful marmalades, though I prefer to use the sliced fruit method for these fruits. Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to every pound of fruit.
• Seville and ginger marmalade
• Replace 1 1/4 cups of the sugar with 9 ounces of chopped crystallized ginger, adding it along with the sugar.
• Whiskey marmalade
• Add 1/4 cup of whiskey to the marmalade at the end of cooking.
• P.S.
• Don't limit marmalade to the breakfast table, for its traits and qualities can be well used in other culinary ways. I like to replace candied peel in fruitcakes with a tablespoonful or two of marmalade, and I always add some to my Christmas mincemeat (p. 74). Marmalade makes a marvelous glaze for oven-baked ham, as well as sweet-and-sour chicken or pork dishes. Best of all, 3 or 4 tablespoonfuls will make a glorious golden topping for a good old-fashioned steamed pudding.
• P.P.S.
• For generations, marmalade makers have cooked up the mass of seeds found inside citrus fruits in the belief that they are full of pectin. However, most of the pectin is actually found in the citrus peel, and I rely purely on this for the setting power in my marmalades.

Steps:

• Halve the oranges and squeeze the juice into a large stainless-steel pan. Scoop the pips and pulp into a sieve over the pan and squeeze out as much juice as possible, then tie the pulp and pips in the muslin. Shred the remaining peel and pith, either by hand with a sharp knife or in a food processor (a food processor will give very fine flecks rather than strips of peel). Add the shredded peel and muslin bag to the pan along with the water. Leave to soak overnight. This helps to extract the maximum amount of pectin from the fruit pulp, which will give a better set. It also helps to soften the peel, which will reduce the amount of cooking needed.
• Put the pan over a medium heat, then bring up to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 1½-2 hrs, until the peel has become very soft. (The cooking time will be affected by how thickly you have cut the peel.) To see if the peel is ready, pick out a thicker piece and press it between your thumb and finger. It should look slightly see-through and feel soft when you rub it.
• Carefully remove the muslin bag, allow to cool slightly, then, wearing the rubber gloves, squeeze out as much liquid as possible to extract the pectin from the fruit pulp. Discard the bag and weigh the simmered peel mixture. There should be between 775-800g; if less, then top up with water to 775g.
• Put 4 small plates in the freezer, ready to use when testing for setting point. Add the sugar to the pan, then put over a low heat. Warm gently so that the sugar dissolves completely, stirring occasionally. Do not boil, before the sugar is dissolved.
• Increase the heat and bring up to the boil but do not stir while the marmalade is boiling. After about 5 mins the marmalade will start to rise up the pan (it may drop back and then rise again) and larger bubbles will cover the surface. After 8-10 mins boiling, test for setting point. Times will vary according to the size of the pan - in a large pan this takes 7-8 mins, in other pans it may take 12-15 mins. As setting point can be easily missed it's better to test too early than too late.
• To test the setting point: take the pan off the heat and allow the bubbles to subside. Take a plate from the freezer and spoon a little liquid onto the plate, then return to the freezer for 1 min. Push the marmalade along the plate with your finger. If setting point has been reached then the marmalade surface will wrinkle slightly and the marmalade won't run back straight away. If it's not at setting point, return to the heat and boil again for 2 mins before re-testing. Repeat until setting point is reached. If you have a sugar thermometer, setting point is reached at 105C, but it's good to do the plate test as well.
• Leave the marmalade to stand for 10 mins or until starting to thicken. If there's any scum on the surface, spoon it off. Transfer the marmalade to sterilised jars. Cover with a wax disc (wax side down) and seal. When cold, label the jars and store in a cool, dark cupboard. The marmalade should keep for up to a year.

Steps:

• Halve the Seville and navel oranges and squeeze out the juice and seeds from each half into a mesh strainer set over a small bowl. After all the oranges have been squeezed, place the seeds on a piece of cheesecloth, gather up the sides, and tie securely. Cut each rind in half and then slice as thinly as possible.
• Put the orange slices in a large pot or a Dutch oven. Add the orange juice, water, the bag of seeds, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, stir in the sugar and set the pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture is not burning on the bottom, until the marmalade reaches the jelling point (use the wrinkle test, page 256, to judge when it's done). If white scum occasionally rises to the top, skim it off with a large spoon.
• Stir in the Cognac or whiskey and remove the bag of seeds, squeezing it with a pair of tongs to extract as much marmalade from it as possible. Ladle the marmalade into clean jars. Cover tightly, let cool, and refrigerate.
• The marmalade will keep for at least 6 months in the refrigerator.
• The salt is said to help soften the fruit. I've not made two batches side by side to test this theory (16 cups of Seville orange marmalade is a bit too much to have on hand), but it certainly doesn't hurt to add it, so I always throw in a pinch.