Ok, ok...so if we're friends on Facebook then you already know that I have been making marmalade like a mad woman! A friend of mine gave me a laundry basket full of oranges and I am trying desperately to cook them up before they go south. My first batch of marmalade was a double recipe of the one found in Ina Garten's cookbook
Barefoot Contessa At Home and the results were EXTRAORDINARY! The rich caramel color of the marmalade is the first tip off that it's not your average King marmalade! As one recipient said "Rich, full flavored, dark, I LOVE it!" Then you have the actual meaty texture of the orange peel as you nibble (or gobble) your toast and sip some tea. It really is fantastic!
Tonight I started my second batch...but I felt experimentish so I substituted two handfuls of kumquats for a lemon. The scent is heavenly! Tonight is simply the prep, bring to a boil, add sugar and cool step. Tomorrow I will be cooking this lovely citrus mixture down until it is about half of its current volume and a scorching 220F. This process can take upwards of 4 hours so I'll be starting in early! Maybe I'll bake some bread while I wait...
Next up...Orange-Grapefruit Marmalade! I'm also very interested in adding candied ginger to a grapefruit marmalade...hmmmmm....we shall see what kind of spread I'll cook up next!
Ladies and gentlemen...start your toasters!
