Seville Orange and Whisky

Marmalade

During the long, cold days of Winter, whereby the freezing temperatures, the harrowing attacks of wind and rain, makes it rather too unpleasant to venture outside - this is the ideal time to be making marmalade.

 Making marmalade is one of the most pleasurable experiences in cooking and ideal if you have an afternoon to float around the kitchen at ease. 

However, if you’re a quick ‘rustle up and ready’ sort of cook, this is not the recipe for you and there are plenty of decent ready-made marmalade's out there to satisfy you’re cravings. 

For those amongst you who relish in homemade goodies, the idyllic process of making this delicious sticky orange substance is an act to wallow in. 

From peeling the zest from the flesh of a juicy orange and later watching it bubble away with other ingredients to form a sweet, syrupy marmalade, as you breathe in the zesty smells that gradually begin to fill the house with citrus aromas, the entire experience as a whole is somewhat heart-warming. 

Homemade marmalade also makes the most delightful gift, which is always enthusiastically received with huge amounts of appreciation. 

With the lid topped with hessian and tied up with string or ribbon, a simple jar can be made into something rather special, reflecting the bright orange jewel-like contents inside which glows in the morning sun.

There are hundreds of recipes for marmalade, which reflect the personal preferences of the people making it. 

Some prefer their peel to be chunky, whereas others like it more refined.  

I like my marmalade to stand stern to attention on my soldiers, as if they were standing outside Buckingham Palace itself, but members of my family like it soft and syrupy, although they are more tactful than me at keeping it on-board the toast. 

It really is down to personal taste; however here is my recipe which sits in the middle in order to please the hordes of family and friends who each year queue up for a jar.

We are in prime season for making marmalade, Seville oranges are at their best and available from most supermarkets and greengrocers through January and February. 

Seville oranges are the best for making marmalade, their bittersweet symphony brings a welcoming sharp orangey taste, which is why marmalade is often referred to as the ‘wake-up call in a jar’ and is eaten for breakfast. 

Everyday oranges do not hold this same depth of flavour, whereby the sweet taste of sugar often takes over. 

It also has lower pectin levels which prevents the marmalade from fully setting, leaving you with a very sweet orange soup.

I have added a drop of whisky to my recipe here, which works beautifully alongside the bittersweet taste of the oranges and brings an added extra to the warming feeling we all need first thing in the morning.

So, turn on a bit of Classical FM, even if it’s not your thing, give it a go and you’ll be surprised how soothed you begin to feel as you slowly lose yourself in the wallow of relaxation, and let's make marmalade. 

 Makes 6 x 450g jars

Ingredients

1kg Seville oranges

2kg Demerara sugar

75ml lemon juice

50ml whisky

6 x 450g jars, sterilised

Cook’s note ~ Hobbycraft sell beautifully decorated jars scripted with ‘Marmalade’ or ‘Made with Love’ – perfect for storing and preserving your marmalade. This also makes a lovely homemade gift.

Method

v  Thoroughly wash the oranges and remove the buttons from the top of the fruit.

v  Halve the oranges and squeeze the juice out of each one into a large saucepan. Using a metal spoon, scoop out the flesh with the pips and put through a sieve, squeezing out as much juice as possible into the same pan. Tie the leftover flesh and pips in muslin.

v  Using a sharp knife, shred the orange peel into thin, medium or chunky pieces according to personal preference. Put these into the saucepan with 2½ litres of water and the orange juice and leave to soak overnight.

v  Heat the saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer slowly for 2 hours until the peel is tender and the liquid has reduced by a third. Remove the muslin bag and put to one side in a bowl until it’s cooled enough to handle.

v  Stir in the lemon juice and sugar, and bring the marmalade to the boil, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Squeeze every last bit of juice from the muslin bag and add to the saucepan. Intensely boil until the marmalade has reached setting point, this should take about 20 minutes.

v  Cook’s note ~ The setting point means that once the marmalade has been sufficiently cooked, it should set once it has cooled. There are two key methods you can use to check if it has reached its setting point:

o   Test 1: remove the saucepan from the heat to stop it cooking any further and put a little jam on a cold saucer (you can put the saucer in the freezer 10 minutes beforehand). Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then push gently with a teaspoon or using your fingertip. If the marmalade crinkles, then setting point has been reached.

o   Test 2: if you have a preserving thermometer, place it into the marmalade when it is boiling and if it reaches 104.5’C, setting point has been reached.

v  Remove from the heat and gently discard any scum from off the top of the marmalade.  Stir in the whisky and leave to cool for 10 minutes before pouring into the sterilised jars.