Louise Cooks Fast and Easy Recipes

·Sevelle Orange Marmalade, Master Recipe Method:-

• Line a sieve with the opened up dishcloth (see above) and suspend it over a large saucepan

• Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice through the dishcloth lined sieve into the large saucepan beneath it. Put the lemon shells and pips into the dishcloth.

• ·In the same way, squeeze the oranges catching the pips, etc. in the dishcloth whilst the juice goes through it into the saucepan.

• Cut the empty orange shells in half again and remove all the pith from the rind (it comes away easily with fingers and a knife). Put the pith into the dishcloth.

• Thinly slice the de-pithed orange rind into shreds and slip it under the sieve into the pan.

        At this stage: all pith, gunk and pips should be in the dishcloth and all shredded rind         and juice should be in the saucepan   

     

• Tie the dishcloth together to enclose its contents and put it into the saucepan

• Add 4 pints of water to the pan

•  Now everything can (and should if possible) be left several hours, or overnight

• Bring the saucepan with its contents up to the boil and simmer gently for 2 hours until everything is soft and the water has reduced in volume a little.

• Lift out the dishcloth and put it back into the sieve suspended over the saucepan. Allow to cool a little.

• Using a potato masher press the dishcloth so that the liquid oozes through the cloth and sieve into the saucepan.

• Bring the saucepan back to boiling then remove it from the heat. Stir in the sugar and keep stirring until absolutely all the sugar has dissolved completely.

• When you are sure there are no sugar crystals left, bring the marmalade to a rapid rolling boil, stirring occasionally.

• You will notice the boil starts as a busy, noisy boil but as the marmalade becomes hotter the bubbles become more lazy and quiet.

• After the marmalade has been boiling 10 minutes or so, take the saucer out of the freezer, drip a little of the marmalade onto the cold saucer and cool. If the marmalade on the saucer forms a skin and wrinkles if pushed setting point has been reached and it is ready. If not, keep boiling and repeat the process after about 5 minutes.

• Take the pan off the heat and stir the marmaladeuntil any scum on its surface is disbursed. The marmalade should be allowed to cool at least 10 minutes before potting in order to prevent the rind from rising to the top.

• Pot up in warm sterilised jars.

Seville Orange Marmalade – Whole Fruit Method

I prefer to use this method for smaller quantities and I particularly like to use it when I want a jelly rather than a shredded marmalade.

• 500g Seville oranges

• 2 lemons

• 500g jam sugar with pectin

• 500g granulated sugar

• Put a saucer or small pot in the freezer

• Put the whole fruit and 1 litre of water into a medium sized pan – you want the fruit to be submerged if possible. Simmer for 2 hours until the fruit is completely soft. Allow the fruit to cool in the water.

• Transfer the cooking water to a large saucepan.

• Put the fruit into a sieve suspended over the pan with the cooking water.

• Carefully press the fruit with a potato masher (be careful, it will be full of lovely juices) so that the juice all passes through the sieve into the flavourful cooking water. The skin can now be shredded and added to the juices in the pan if you wish.

• Bring the cooking water and juice up to boiling then remove from the heat.

• Add the sugars and stir until completely dissolved.

• When you are certain absolutely all the sugar crystals have dissolved, return the pan to the heat and bring back to a rolling boil. Setting point should be reached after 8-10 minutes.

• Drop a little of the marmalade onto the cold saucer from the freezer, if it forms a skin and wrinkles when pushed, it is ready.

• Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to disburse any scum and to prevent a skin forming.

• Pot in warm sterilised jars.

Tangerine, Gin and Juniper Marmalade

• 500g Seville oranges

• 500g Tangerines

• 4 lemons

• 1kg granulated sugar

• 1 kg jam sugar with pectin

• 3 tbsps. juniper berries, lightly crushed with a rolling pin

• 200ml gin

• Follow the Seville Orange Marmalade Master Recipe, treating the tangerines in the same way as the Seville oranges.

• Add the crushed juniper berries to the dishcloth so that they steep with the seeds and pith in the water overnight.

• Stir the gin into the marmalade after setting point has been reached.

Mulled Spice Marmalade

• 500g Seville oranges

• 2 lemons

• 4 star anise

• 6 whole cloves

• 4 cinnamon sticks

• 1 tsp. coriander seeds

• 1 tsp. black peppercorns

• 500g jam sugar with pectin

• 500g granulated sugar

• Follow the Seville Orange Whole Fruit Method. 

• Tie the spices in a piece of muslin or new dishcloth and submerge in the litre of water with the whole fruit.

• Discard the spices in their bag after the two hours simmering, squeezing any precious flavourful juices into the cooking water first. 

• Continue as in the whole fruit recipe method.

Seville Orange, Chilli and Mustard Seed Marmalade

• 500g Seville Oranges

• 2 lemons

• 500g jam sugar with pectin

• 500g granulated sugar

• 2 tsps. dried chilli flakes

• 2 tsps. yellow mustard seeds

• Follow the Seville Orange Whole Fruit Method.

• Stir in the chilli flakes and mustard seeds when setting point has been reached. 

• Stir the marmalade as it cools for 10-15 minutes before potting to ensure the mustard seeds are evenly distributed in the marmalade.

Seville Orange and Ginger Marmalade

• 500g Seville Oranges

• 2 lemons

• 500g jam sugar with pectin

• 500g granulated sugar

• 6-7 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, very finely chopped

• 2 tbsps. ginger syrup from the jar

• 2 cm root ginger, finely grated

• Follow the Seville Orange Marmalade Master Recipe method. 

• Add the finely chopped stem ginger, the ginger syrup from the jar and the grated root ginger to the marmalade pan when the added sugars have dissolved.

• Continue with the master recipe method.

Blood Orange Marmalade

• 500g Blood oranges

• 2 lemons

• 750g jam sugar with pectin

• 250g granulated sugar

• Follow the whole fruit method treating the blood oranges in the same way as Seville oranges.

The colour of this marmalade is disappointingly orange not red. A few drops of red food colouring may be added just before potting if you wish.

Grapefruit and Cranberry Marmalade – this pinky red marmalade is particularly pretty.

• 675g (approx.) 2 red grapefruit

• 2 lemons

• 1 litre water

• 225g cranberries (frozen are fine)

• 675g jam sugar with pectin

• 675g granulated sugar

• Whole fruit method. Put a saucer in the freezer.

• Submerge the grapefruits and lemons in one litre of water and simmer for two hours or until the fruit is completely soft. Allow to cool in the water.

• Transfer the cooking water to a larger pan and put the cooked fruit into a sieve suspended over the pan.

• Carefully press the fruit using a potato masher (be careful it will be bursting with lovely juices) so that all the juices pass through the sieve into the flavourful cooking water. Discard the remains of the fruit in the sieve.

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• Add the cranberries to the cooking water and simmer on the hob until the berries have popped and almost melted into the cooking water. Remove the pan from the heat.

• Add the sugars to the pan and stir until the sugars have completely dissolved.

• When you are quite sure no sugar crystals remain, bring back to the boil and bubble vigorously, stirring occasionally, until setting point is reached, approximately 6-8 minutes.

• Drop a little of the marmalade onto the cold saucer; if it forms a skin and wrinkles when pushed, the marmalade is ready.

• Remove from the heat and stir until any scum disappears; a knob of butter added at this point can help a little.

• The marmalade should be ready to pot in sterilised jars after 10-15 minutes.