Christmas Marmalade Recipes

CHRISTMAS CITRUS MARMALADE

Steps:

• Remove peel from white part of lemons and orange in long strips with sharp paring knife, making sure there is no white on the peel. Stack strips; cut into thin slivers. Combine lemon and orange peels, water and baking soda in 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, peel grapefruit. Remove white pith from grapefruit, lemons and orange; discard peel and pith. Separate fruit into sections. With fingers, remove pulp from membrane of each section over large saucepan to save juice. Dice fruit sections into same saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Measure 5 cups fruit mixture into 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven.
• Wash jars, lids and bands. Leave jars in hot water. Place lids and bands in large pan of water. Mix pectin into fruit mixture. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam with metal spoon.
• Bring water with lids and bands to a boil. Ladle hot mixture into hot jars leaving 1/2-inch space at top. Run metal spatula around inside of jar to remove air bubbles. Wipe tops and sides of jar rims clean. Place hot lids and bands on jar. Screw bands tightly, but do not force. To process, place jars in boiling water; boil 10 minutes. Remove jars with tongs; cool on wire racks. (Check seals by pressing on lid with fingertip; lid should remain concave.) Label and date jars.* Store unopened jars in a cool, dry place up to 12 months. Refrigerate after opening up to 6 months.
• *Marmalade sets slowly. Store in a cool, dry place 2 weeks before serving.

SONNY'S MARMALADE

Steps:

• Inspect 3 pint-sized jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse jars in simmering water until marmalade is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• Place clementines and zest in a food processor; blend until well mashed. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Repeat with the cherries and pineapple.
• Add lemon juice and pectin to the fruit in the saucepan. Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in sugar. Return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Pack marmalade mixture into the hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top with lids and screw rings on tightly.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars 2 inches apart into the boiling water using a holder. Pour in more boiling water to cover jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and let rest, several inches apart, for 12 to 24 hours. Press the center of each lid with a finger to ensure the lid does not move up or down. Remove the rings for storage and store in a cool, dark area.

CHRISTMAS-SPICED MARMALADE

Steps:

• Peel the zest off the fruit with a vegetable peeler, leaving as much of the white pith as you can.
• Pile up the strips of zest and snip them into tiny matchsticks with a scissors and set them aside.
• Juice all the dezested fruit, setting the juice aside.
• Roughly cut the dezested, juiced fruit pieces and add them to a large pot along with the pulp and seeds from the juicer. Add the whole spices and the water. Bring the pot to the boil, clamp the lid on, turn the heat down to medium low and allow to simmer for 2 hours.
• Take 3 small plates and put them in the freezer.
• After 2 hours of simmering, pass the water through a fine mesh sieve, making sure you squeeze all the water from the pith. Discard and collected pith, pulp and spices.
• In a very large pot, add the water from the pith, the fruit juice and the snipped up zest. Stir and bring to the boil.
• Add the sugar. Stir it to help the sugar dissolve and bring to a rolling boil.
• If you have a candy thermometer, you will need to let this reach 105 degrees celsius so it will set. If you do not have a candy thermometer, then just let it boil for about 40 minutes.
• To test if it is done, take a not cold plate from the freezer and pour about a tablespoon of marmalade onto it and leave it for 5 minutes. Then slowly drag your finger across it. If the surface of the marmalade forms a crinkly surface and your finger leaves the plate clean behind it then it is done and will set. If that doesn't happen, let it boil for another 10 minutes and check again with the second plate from the freezer.
• Allow the marmalade to cool a bit before pouring it into sterilised jars. To sterilise jars, you can boil them in water or run them through the hottest cycle of the dishwasher, just don't touch the inside of the jars once sterilised. I sterilise the lids by boiling them in a small pot of water.
• Once the jars are filled, put on the lids not so tightly and submerge all the jars in a very large pot of water or a number of smaller pots and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for half an hour before you remove them from the water and tighten the lids.

MARK'S MARMALADE CHRISTMAS HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6).
• Rinse the gammon in cold water. Pour the cider into a roasting pan, then top up with boiling water to a depth of about 3cm (1in). Place the gammon on a rack that sits above the surface of the liquid, making sure the liquid isn't touching the meat. Wrap a large piece of foil loosely over the meat like a tent, ensuring there is an airtight seal around the edges of the pan but that it doesn't touch the meat (creating a sort of steam balloon around the gammon).
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 50-55 minutes per 1kg (2lb 4oz) of meat. Remove from the oven, remove the foil and rest until cool enough to handle. Snip off the string and use a very sharp knife to slice off the tougher skin without removing any of the fat. Score a criss-cross pattern into the fat at 2cm (¾in) intervals. In a small bowl, mix together the marmalade, honey, mustard and orange juice and generously cover the scored fat with the mixture. Push the cloves, if using, into the scored fat in an intermittent fashion.
• Return the gammon to the oven and bake uncovered for a further 25 minutes or until the glaze is golden. Rest the meat for at least 1 hour before slicing. You can make this a few days ahead of Christmas to lighten the cooking prep on the day-it will keep in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.