Christmas
Five-Citrus Marmalade
- Makes 9 half pint jars
Author Notes
This is a marmalade I created because I wanted to showcase pomelos. I think the scent of a ripe pomelo is absolutely intoxicating. Truthfully, they're in the kind of the same category as glitter and sparkly things for me, meaning that if I walk past them at a market, I get distracted like a little kid, forget what I was doing, and wander over to the pomelo display, where I have to pick them up and smell them for a few minutes. This recipe turned out delicious, with a nice set and and just the right ratio of citrus jelly to citrus peel. —grow it cook it can it
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe is truly a labor of love, but yields plenty in return. A two day process, the first of which is dominated by prepping the thick skinned pomelos. The combination of the five varieties of citrus is heady and perfectly balanced, with the pomelo notes taking center stage. The amount of sugar used ensures that the marmalade highlights the citrus, and not a cloyingly sweet end result. The cooking process takes around 2 hours, most of it to evaporate the water and bring the temperature up from 212 F to 220 F. The end product is a deep reddish orange, rich, complex, delightful tasting marmalade, perfect to share with friends and family. Yields 10 8 oz jars. —Panfusine
Ingredients
-
2
pomelos
-
1
grapefruit
-
1 handful
of kumquats
-
2
navel oranges
-
2
lemons
-
8 cups
sugar
-
8 cups
filtered water
Directions
- Day 1: Prepare the fruit and combine it with the water To prepare the pomelos: Run either a sharp knife or a sharp vegetable peeler around the outside of the pomelos, removing the colored part of the rind and leaving behind the pith. Stack the pieces of rind in a pile and slice them into the thinnest strips you can manage. If the finished strips are on the long side, cut them in half or thirds (you want them to fit nicely into a spoon for the finished marmalade, not to be pomelo noodles). Set the finished pomelo rind aside in a mixing bowl. Now, cut off the layer of white pith to reveal the colored fruit. Use your knife to remove individual segments from the fruit, leaving behind the bitter membranes. Roughly chop the fruit segments into bite size pieces. Set the prepared fruit pieces aside in the mixing bowl. To prepare the grapefruit: Use the same method as described above, using only the outer part of the rind and the segments of fruit. Combine the finished fruit segments and sliced strips of peel with the prepared pomelo in your mixing bowl. To prepare the kumquats: Slice off the tip where the stem was attached. Next, slice the kumquat in half. Remove any little seeds. Next, each half of the kumquat into very thin strips. Combine the prepared kumquat with the prepared grapefruit and pomelo. To prepare the lemons and oranges: Slice off the blossom and stem end of the fruit. Slice the fruit into quarters. Slice off the pithy center of each quarter, where the membranes join together and the seeds are hiding. Lay out the pieces of fruit so that the skin side is facing you and slice the oranges and lemons into the thinnest pieces you can manage. Next: Combine the fruit and the water in a nonreactive container and let it sit for 24 hours.
- Day 2 (the easy part): Bring boiling water canner to a boil. Wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Put the fruit mixture into a large, nonreactive pot. Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer. Simmer the fruit for 20 minutes to soften the rinds. Pour in the sugar and stir to combine everything. Turn the heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade reads 220 on a candy thermometer or passes whatever gel test you like. Ladle the hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Process for 10 minutes.
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