Orange Marmalade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-quart / 7.5-litre stockpot
• •8 to 10-quart / 7.5 to 9.5-litre wide stainless-steel preserving pan
• •Wooden skewer
• •Large deep bowl and colander
• •Food mill with coarse plate or sturdy 10-inch / 25-cm coarse sieve
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Long heatproof spatula and skimmer
• •Sugar thermometer
• •Two small saucers for set testing
• •Eight clean 8-ounce / 240-ml heat-safe jars with lids

Instructions

1. 1

   Prick the oranges

   Choose oranges as equal in size as possible, with thick, supple rinds and no soft spots. Scrub them well, then prick each orange deeply in fifteen to twenty places with a clean wooden skewer, piercing through the rind without driving through the opposite side. These openings let the boiling water reach the rind evenly, so the fruit softens without bursting.

2. 2

   Parboil for softness

   Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and lower in the oranges. Keep them submerged with a small heatproof plate if they insist on floating, then boil steadily for thirty minutes. Drain and cool them until they can be handled. The rind should yield under a thumb but remain whole enough to quarter cleanly.

3. 3

   Soak out bitterness

   Set the oranges in a deep bowl beneath a very thin stream of cold running water for at least twelve hours, turning them occasionally and keeping the basin drain completely clear. This is extraction, not idle waiting. At the end, cut a tiny piece from one rind and taste it. It should retain a firm citrus bitterness without the harshness lingering at the back of the tongue; if it is still aggressive, continue the soak in fresh cold water for another two to four hours.

   For the source’s lower-water alternative, cover the oranges generously with cold water in the refrigerator for twenty hours, changing the water five or six times. Do not shorten the time simply because the fruit looks soft.
4. 4

   Sieve and weigh

   Drain the oranges thoroughly, quarter them, and remove every pip and the tough central filaments. Pass the peel and pulp together through the coarse plate of a food mill, or force them through a sturdy coarse sieve. Do not peel the fruit and do not blend it smooth; the softened rind supplies the marmelade’s body. Weigh the finished purée. For every 1.1 lb / 500 g of purée, measure exactly 1.1 lb / 500 g sugar and ⅔ cup (160 ml / 165 g) apple juice.

5. 5

   Prepare jars and tests

   Wash the jars and lids thoroughly. Keep the jars hot in a pan of hot water so the glass will not crack when filled, and place two small saucers in the freezer for testing the set. Set a skimmer, a long heatproof spatula, and a clean second pan within reach. Preserving moves quickly at the finish, and this small mise en place is what one cook uses instead of extra hands.

6. 6

   Cook the sugar syrup

   Put the measured sugar and 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) cold water in the wide preserving pan. Heat gently, stirring only until every crystal dissolves, then bring the syrup to a clear boil and cook for five to six minutes. Skim away any grey froth, though refined sugar may produce very little. Once boiling, do not stir. If crystals gather around the sides, cover the pan for one minute so the moisture washes them down. Ça se rattrape. Remove the lid and continue without allowing the syrup to colour.

7. 7

   Add fruit and juice

   Carefully add the orange purée to the syrup, followed by the precisely measured apple juice. The syrup may seize around the cooler fruit and the mixture may spit, so use a long spatula and stir over moderate heat until it becomes uniform. Bring it back to a brisk boil. Skim carefully during this first stage, removing foam without carrying away the marmelade beneath it.

8. 8

   Reach the nappe

   As the marmelade thickens and the bubbles become slower and more visible, begin stirring almost constantly, scraping the entire floor and corners of the pan. Test frequently. At nappe, marmelade clinging to the spoon gathers toward its centre and falls slowly in two heavy drops that join into a short sheet; a dab on a frozen saucer should wrinkle softly when pushed and leave a clean path behind your finger. A thermometer will commonly read 220°F / 104 to 105°C at sea level, but the spoon and cold plate have the final word. If the bottom begins to catch, stop stirring and immediately pour the unscorched marmelade into the clean pan without scraping the first one. If caught before the burnt smell spreads, ça se rattrape.

   At altitude, judge the finish at roughly 8°F / 4°C above your local boiling point for water rather than chasing the sea-level temperature.
9. 9

   Pot and chill

   Take the pan off the heat as soon as nappe is reached and let the marmelade settle for seven to eight minutes. The source sends the cook to The Cooking, Potting, and Sealing of Jams (No. 2955) for the linked preserving method. For this home translation, ladle the marmelade into the hot clean jars, leaving ¼ inch / 6 mm headspace, wipe the rims, and apply clean lids. Paper-and-glycerine coverings are brigade scaffolding and are not used. Cool the jars for no longer than two hours, then refrigerate; a lid drawing down does not make this formula shelf-stable.

10. 10

    Check the set

    Leave the marmelade undisturbed in the refrigerator for a full day before judging it. If it remains loose, return it to the wide pan and boil again until nappe, then refill clean hot jars. If it is too firm, warm it gently and stir in boiling water one tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) at a time until the spoonful relaxes. Ça se rattrape. Serve with buttered bread, brioche, or croissants. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Thick, soft rind matters more than an impressive label. Thin-skinned oranges give little body, while dry, rigid peel remains stubborn after boiling. Choose sound fruit of similar size so every orange reaches tenderness together.
• •Weigh the purée only after removing the pips and filaments and passing everything else through the sieve. The formula is exact: equal weights of purée and sugar, then ⅔ cup (160 ml / 165 g) apple juice for every 1.1 lb / 500 g purée.
• •A broad pan is not decoration. Its wide surface drives off moisture quickly, preserving the orange colour and fragrance; a narrow saucepan turns a brief cook into a long stew and encourages scorching at the bottom.
• •Do not reduce the sugar. Here it supplies structure as well as sweetness, and changing it would require a separately tested formula rather than a casual adjustment.
• •Keep refrigerated for up to four weeks, or freeze in straight-sided freezer-safe containers for up to six months. For holiday gifts, label every jar “Keep Refrigerated.” Pantry storage requires a current tested canning formula and processing schedule for the jar size and altitude.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin early in the morning: parboil the oranges for thirty minutes, start the twelve-hour cold-water soak, then sieve and cook the marmelade that evening.
• •For the lower-water method, parboil and begin the refrigerated twenty-hour soak the day before cooking, changing the water five or six times.
• •Make the marmelade at least one day before serving. The set develops as it cools, and the orange flavour becomes rounder after two or three days in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)