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Daily Archives: September 6, 2013

Blood Orange Marmalade

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This is a lovely, fragrant marmalade. The fruit gives a wonderful rich pink/ red colour to the finished product.

It’s only possible to make when blood oranges are in season, from about September to December in Australia. Blood oranges, like any citrus, lose their pectin when old.

I made the mistake last year of buying several kilos of the fruit right at the end of the season. Having chopped it all up, made my marmalade, I was horrified to find that none of the jars had set! However, I put the non-marmalade to use. Great mixed into a butter cake, giving it a really tangy flavour.

Ingredients

2-3  blood oranges
Water to cover fruit
Sugar

Method

Cut the fruit in half. Chop into segments, peel and pith included. Remove as many pips as you can. You want strips of citrus so that your marmalade is chunky. Put the fruit into your saucepan.

I found some handy tips about preparing the fruit from the following blog post:

http://foodinjars.com/2012/01/small-batch-blood-orange-marmalade/

Cover generously with water, making sure you have enough in the pan so that the fruit does not boil dry. Bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit is tender. This should take from between 45 minutes to 1 hour.

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Measure the pulp and remaining liquid. Return to the pan adding 1.5 cups of sugar for every 1cup of pulp. Return to the boil, making sure the sugar is dissolved. Cook until setting point is reached  – 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle carefully into sterilised jars and leave to cool.

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Strawberry Conserve

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This recipe from my mother was my first attempt at jam making. I’m not sure who developed this version, but the jam is sensational as it is slightly tart, having only half the sugar of other recipes. As strawberries have a high pectin content, it sets well.

It’s really a conserve, as the fruit is kept whole. Conserves are a form of preserving in which whole fruit is suspended in jelly. I find berries make great conserves.

My mother noted: “do not make large quantities  – 2 pounds (1kilo) of strawberries is the maximum to be made at the one time”.

I’ve been making this conserve for ages and it’s always scrumptious.

Ingredients

500gms strawberries
250gms sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

Hull the strawberries and put into a china or plastic basin (not metal).  Cover with the sugar and leave for several hours or overnight.

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Add lemon juice and gently stir the mixture to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.

Transfer to a large saucepan and boil briskly, testing for setting point regularly. When setting point* is reached – about 25 to 30 minutes, remove pan from the stove. Ladle carefully into sterilised jars and leave to cool.

Note: use a wooden spoon and do not stir vigorously so that the berries are kept mostly intact.

*Testing for setting point
While the jam is cooking, place a small saucer in the freezer to thoroughly chill (about 5 minutes). When you think the jam may have reached setting point, remove the saucer form the freezer, place a teaspoonful of jam on it, put back in the freezer for 3 or 4 minutes. If the jam has a jelly-like consistency or a crinkly skin has formed on the sample, the jam is ready.

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