Sunday, August 17, 2008

Blood Orange Marmalade

Marija from Palachinka is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have Blood Oranges.

blood oranges© by Haalo

While Blood Oranges do vary in the intensity of their colour, these were all marked with an intense deep red flesh.

blood oranges© by Haalo

This red colour is due to two pigments, Anthocyanin and Carotenoid, both of which are anti-oxidants. Nutritionally, you'll find they contain Vitamins A, B6 and C, Niacin, Riboflavin and Thiamin as well as Calcium, Copper, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Panthothenic Acid and Potassium.

For this weeks recipe I've decided to focus on showing off the colour and also provide something to brighten up a winter's breakfast. As toast is a favoured way to start the day, some Blood Orange Marmalade certainly won't go astray.

As these are sweetly flavoured, I've opted to cut the oranges into thick slices so give a more generous flavour hit in each bite.

blood orange marmalade© by Haalo


Blood Orange Marmalade

500 grams Blood Oranges
water
3 cups sugar, approximate



Slice the tops and bottoms off each orange and discard, then slice into quarters. Cut each quarter into thick slices.

Place the slices, any juice and all the seeds into a non-reactive saucepan and pour over enough water to cover the orange pieces.

Note: if you have the time you can place the sliced oranges and water into a bowl and let it sit overnight in the fridge. This will help to release the natural pectin into the water and lessen the time taken in the next stage to soften the peel.

Over a gentle heat, slowly simmer the oranges until the skin has softened. It's important that you make sure the skin is to your liking as once as you add the sugar, the skin will set and will not get any softer. You'll notice a type of scum rising to the surface as it boils, just skim this off and discard.

Once the skin has softened, measure out your remaining mixture - in this case I had a total of 4 cups left (this is the volume of the water and the orange pieces). This measurement decides how much sugar is needed.

As the fruit is sweet, I used 3 cups of sugar - the general rule of thumb when making marmalade is a 1:1 ratio.

Return the oranges and liquid to a clean non-reactive saucepan and place over a gentle heat, add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. You'll notice that the liquid becomes quite clear and the orange seeds will float to the surface. You can now remove the seeds as they come into view - they have done their part in adding pectin.

Turn the heat up until the mixture is simmering and cook until it reaches around 105°C/220°F on a candy thermometer.

Once ready, let it sit in the pan for a few minutes to allow the marmalade to begin setting - this will help ensure an even distribution of the orange pieces.

Pour into sterilised jars and seal.


Blood Orange Marmalade© by Haalo

A gorgeously thick marmalade swathed in a deep crimson jelly - it seriously demands that you indulge with a large spoonful.

Other Blood Orange recipes:
Blood Orange Cordial
Vin d'Orange

17 comments

  1. I love citrus marmalades! Thanks for sending this great post to WHB!

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  2. Wow gorgeous photos. Blood oranges are just so beautiful, I can see why you thought they would make good marmalade, what a colour!

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  3. These are so beautiful - and such a perfect recipe to showcase their flavor!

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  4. Can you believe I have never seen these in real life? I guess they must not grow anywhere around here (or I just miss them in the stores, not sure which!) They're gorgeous. Beautiful photos.

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  5. Hola des de Barcelona, gracies per compartir aquesta magnífica recepta! petons.

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  6. Thanks Marija!

    Thanks Holler - they made a pretty good marmalade too!

    Thanks Magpie!

    Thanks Kalyn - they certainly grow them in the US so it's probably just a matter of time before they produce enough so that they are readily available. Hope you get to find them soon!

    Gracias!

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  7. These are some breathtaking photos, Haalo!

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  8. I just love plain, simple, blood orange juice!

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  9. Recently made cumquat marmalade. But blood orange marmalade is next on the list. The colour of yours is gorgeous!! A neighbour has a bounty crop so I am just waiting to get my hands on them :-)

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  10. Thanks Patricia!

    It's delicious Katie!

    Thanks Nora - I had so much trouble trying to photograph the marmalade, it was just too intense. Look forward to seeing your blood orange treats!

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  11. Your photos are spectacular.
    I love blood oranges, especially in cocktails.
    I would love to try your marmalade one day.
    It is rare to find the blood oranges in Canada but once in a while they show up.

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  12. I'm loving the blood oranges this season. I'll be very sad when the season is over!

    I made your cordial last week which was delightful. This marmalade is on my list to make this weekend.

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  13. Beautiful! Looks great!

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  14. This definitely highlights the color. Good job! Had no idea marmalade was fairly doable.

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  15. Thanks Natashya - it's a shame that they are hard to find but the juice is delicious.

    Thanks Coffee - hopefully the marmalade will help to stretch out the season. They have had wonderful colour, the trees are probably coming into the right age.

    Thanks Ginny!

    Thanks Jue - hope you give marmalade making a go!

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  16. Finally got some blood oranges, so I'm making marmalade this weekend. :-)

    Or maybe blood orange sorbet...it's getting pretty warm in Sydney.

    Or both! :-)

    Have a nice weekend,
    Nora

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  17. Hi Nora - blood orange sorbet would have gone down a treat the last few days but you can't really go wrong with making either ;)

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