Easy Blood Orange Marmalade

Bitter blood oranges need a boost from sugar and honey, but a a spoonful of marmalade packs a lot of flavor in just a small amount.

To make the marmalade:

In a medium pot, add 4 cups of water, 1 pound of blood oranges, and 1 large lemon. Cover the top of the pot with aluminum foil. Boil over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until oranges can be easily pierced with a skewer. Off heat, let mixture cool covered for 5 to 24 hours.

When ready to make the marmalade, place two small plates in the freezer.

Move the oranges and lemon from the pan to a cutting board. Scrape out the pulp, returning the pulp to the liquid in the pot. Mash the mixture in the pot with a potato masher. Boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes 

For the rinds, cut into 1/16 to 1/4” slices (personal preference); then cut slices horizontally at 1/4 to 1/2”; set aside. 

Place a fine-sieved strainer over the rim of a dutch oven so that it is supported on the edges. Pour the liquid and pulp through the strainer, pressing firmly with the bottom of a cup or bowl to drain all the juices. Discard the solids. 

To the juice in the dutch oven, add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of cane sugar, 1/2 cup of honey (or Lyle’s Golden Syrup Cane Syrup) and the chopped peels. Stir to mix well. Taste, adding additional fresh lemon juice if too sweet. Using a candy thermometer, turn the heat to medium-high and boil the mixture until the temperature rises to 220 degrees F (about 20 minutes if you don't have a thermometer). Remove pot from heat and test to see if marmalade has set by putting 1 tablespoon on one of the cold plates and returning to the freezer for 2 - 4 minutes. Press up on the marmalade with your finger; if it forms swirls, the jam has set. If not, continue cooking the marmalade for 2 minutes and try again. Skim any foam from the surface.

Ladle the marmalade into sterilized jars and allow to cool. Cover tightly with lids and refrigerate until marmalade has set, about 24 hours. Refrigerate up to 3 months. 

Note: Amounts of marmalade have varied each time from about 3 1/2 cups to 2 cups.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4 Persimmons*

Ingredients:

1 pound blood oranges, scrubbed

1 large lemon, scrubbed

4 cups water

3 cups cane sugar

1/2 cup honey (or Lyle’s Golden Syrup Cane Syrup) 

Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated summer 2020 issue.

#marmalade #oranges #breakfast #jelly #honey #cooksillustrated #LylesGoldenSyrupCaneSyrup

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.