Citrus marmalades can take up to 2 days or even more to setup properly, sometimes. It depends on how much pectin was present in your fruit, and then there is simply the mystery of pectin. Did you do the test using a frozen plate to check a sample before you turned off the heat? Marmalade won't set until it reaches at least boiling point, and has a chance to cook off some of the excess liquid. I'd suggest giving your batch a two day rest time, to see if it will set up on its own. If it hasn't set to your preference, you can tip it back into the pot and bring it back up to a boil. Then do the test of a sample on the frozen plate, and stop when the mixture is boiling and the sample wrinkles when you run your finger over it. If all else fails, you can use a small amount of commercial pectin- but only as a last resort because you could well end up with lemon jam rather than marmalade.
Your lemons provided the pectin which sets the marmalade. The point of the frozen plate is to allow you a way to check on when your marmalade has hit the magic setting point. If enough water has been cooked off, the tiny bit you put on the frozen plate should make wrinkles on the surface, or feel like a marmalade/jelly like substance. Now the "wrinkle" test is always a bit tricky, especially if you don't have a load of experience gained from aiding your grandmother. That's why I prefer to do it using a candy thermometer- and what I would suggest you might prefer. You will aim for a final temperature between 215 and 220 F, or 100-105C. That's the magic setting point for pectin. If you cook to the higher end, you will usually end up with a thicker set and the lower end gets you a thinner one. I prefer the high end myself- but it's up to you. In the meantime, give it a few days and check. The amount of pectin in lemons varies, so it might well not be anything you've done wrong either. Don't despair- it can always be re-cooked. And it will still taste wonderful, I'm sure.
/36cc0b24-ebd4-44d5-8821-64c35ec98f40--lemon-marmalade-IMG_7107.jpg)
3 Comments