Friday, September 30, 2011

Marmalade


Marmalade always makes me think of Paddington Bear. Remember those stories? About the bear in the raincoat and galoshes found in Paddington Station? Well anyway, he ate marmalade. And so do the students at Hogwarts:

"This morning, however, she [Hedwig] fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate" (Sorcerer's Stone 135).



Marmalade is one of those condiments that Americans don't eat very often, and from what I've heard, many people don't like it at all. But the recipe in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook for "Sweet Orange Marmalade" is delicious!

(To Fill a 14oz Jar) You Will Need:
3 Oranges
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Note: I only had 1 orange, so I used only 1/3 of everything.


1. Place the oranges in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.


2. Remove the oranges from the pot and place on a cutting board. Discard the water and rinse the pot.
3. When the oranges are cool enough to handle, peel them. Scrape the pith off the peels (the white underside of the peel), as much as you can and discard the pith, since it will make your marmalade bitter (I wonder if people usually include the pith? I've always heard that marmalade is pretty bitter.).


4. Mince the orange peels and add to the clean pot. Chop the peeled oranges  (discard the seeds) and process in a blender or food processor (even better, use a juicer if you have one!).


5. Pour through a sieve, pressing down with a rubber spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp.

6. Add the orange juice, sugar, and water to the pot. As the mixture boils, it will expand A LOT, so be sure the pot has enough space for the mixture to at least double.
7. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and it begins to bubble.

8. Add a candy thermometer and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it is 220 degrees. Remove from the heat.


And that is where Ms. Bucholz' recipe ends... sooo, transfer the mixture to a glass container (a jar with a lid is best) and allow it to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Serve it spread on toast, English muffins, whatever you fancy! And enjoy this lovely sweet marmalade!


2 comments:

  1. did this set ok? how was the taste? too watery?

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    1. The taste was quite lovely; I assumed it would be bitter because of the orange peel, but it was nice and sweet. It set up well-- a little less solid than jam, but not watery. I think if it turns out watery, you could probably heat it again in the pan for awhile to evaporate some more liquid out of it.
      Thanks for reading!

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