So, I have been quite please at my recent cooking attempts using local produce, namely Kumquat jam with fruit from my own tree and Lemon Curd from lemons from a neighbouring villa. I have even given some of my lemon curd to friends who are coming back for more!
Word of my culinary skills with preserves has obviously spread and my new neighbour, who has a small orange tree asked me if I wanted some of the oranges for making marmalade. Now, although their tree is small, it has some really lovely large oranges on it and I was surprised that they didn't want them for juice, we certainly would if it was ours. Anyway, I explained that I had never actually had a go at marmalade but if I could find a simple recipe, I was willing to have a go. After all, what better way to start your day than to sit under the spanish sun on the sun terrace, sipping coffee and eating toast with real homemade marmalade from spanish homegrown oranges.
So, I Googled marmalade recipes by Mrs Beeton and found a really simple recipe - how could it go wrong? It doesn't mess with pectin to make it set, or anything silly - it is simply oranges, sugar & water. You can add a lemon to make it really special if you want to.
So, I gathered all my ingredients together yesterday, yes, including a lemon - after all let's aim for the best!
'Peel the orange and boil the skin for 2 hours' it said - easy. I can even manage to change the water the desired 3 times during boiling - not a problem.
Next take the juice and flesh from the oranges ready to add to the sugar. Messy but simple.
After the skins had been boiling for 2 hours I started the next stage. Add the water to the sugar and bring to the boil. Now this was an interesting part. I had 150ml of water and 900gms of Castor Sugar - you wouldn't think there was enough water - but it worked and all mixed together and melted down to a white syrup. The recipe said 'boil well and skim until clear' - now does that mean boil rapidly, or boil for a long time - and skim what? - the bubbles from the top or anything that looks like it shouldn't be there. And pay attention to the comment about boiling it 'until clear' - that's important later on.
Anyway, I boiled and I skimmed and it all seemed ok, but I wouldn't say it looked clear. So far it seemed to be going fine, if a little by chance.
THEN THE DOGS STARTED BARKING AND BARKING AND BARKING OUTSIDE.
It sounded like World War 3 was starting so I had no choice but to leave what I was doing and go and find out what the problem was.
No, of course I didn't leave the pan on the ring and have it boil over, neither did I leave it on the ring and burn the sugar - much too obvious. No, I thought to take it off the heat and leave it to one side while I went outside. When I came back I was presented with a pan with a rock hard pan-sized sugar cube in it.
Simple enough, I thought, I'll re-heat it and melt it again and pick up where I left off. Only this time it didn't melt back to a nice whitish liquid, it went treacle coloured.......
BUT IT WAS CLEAR!!!
Now, I'm not a cook, I didn't know it wasn't supposed to be this colour, it didn't say 'boil until pale and clear'.
Anyway, I carried on thinking it was all ok. I added my orange juice and pieces and the lemon juice and zest, boiled it for half an hour and poured it into a container for it to set.
And, to be fair to myself, it has the consistency of marmalade, it has the flavour of marmalade - after you've set fire to your toast.
But it has the appearance of Chutney.
Needless to tell you the shop bought marmalade is on the left. But I am nearly there, just the next time I try it (and yes, there will be a next time, I still have oranges left) I'll just let the dogs bark!
1 comment:
I'd just buy a jar but I KNOW it doesn't taste the same, as my mum used to make marmalade which was wonderful. (Having said that she DID make it using a tin of MAMADE !)
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