Blood Orange Marmalade

I had my first blood orange when my wife Jen & I were in Italy for our 2nd anniversary --  the honeymoon we should have originally taken.  While in Venice, we took a daytrip to Murano, saw some glass-making artisans and then got some lunch at a local market.  Sitting in a sunny little park off the main drag, I pulled out the red-skinned orange not knowing what to expect and fell in love with the sweet/tart berry-ness.

Here in California, blood oranges are only available in the winter -- they show up in our groceries as early as Thanksgiving but more typically around New Years and they're only around till early March.  I drive Jen crazy by filling up our fridge with bags of the suckers wanting to make all sorts of things with them (cakes, tarts, curds, ice cream, & marmalade).

Here's my take on making the marmalade based on the recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.


Blood Orange & Lemon Marmalade

This makes around six 8 oz. jars

3 lbs                                   Blood Oranges (around 8)

2 big or 3 small                 Lemons

4+ cups                              Water

6 cups                                 Sugar

8 tsp                                    Grand Marnier

A. Prep peel

1. Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, cut the colored part only from the oranges and lemons.

2. Avoid getting the bitter white layer

3. Place peels in a saucepan generously covered with cold water.                 

4. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat                 

5. Boil for 10 minutes.                 

6. Drain.                 

7. Again, generously cover with cold water and return to a boil.                 

8. Boil for 10 more minutes until the peel is softened.                 

9. Drain.                 

10. Cut peel into paper thin strips                 

Alternate method to 1-10 :  use a Microplane to zest the fruit -- avoid getting the bitter white layer

B. Prep fruit

1. With a sharp knife, cut and set aside the remaining peel and membrane from the oranges and lemons.                 

2. Thinly slice the oranges and lemons, setting aside any tough pith or seeds                  

3. Roughly chop the fruit -- be sure to save all the juice

4. Place the reserved peel, membrane, pith, & seeds (from steps 1 & 2) in a cheesecloth bag

C. Cook the fruit -- Part 1

1. Put chopped fruit, peel, cheesecloth bag and 4 cups water in a saucepan

2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat

3. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently for around 30 minutes until peel is very soft when squeezed with fingers

4. Remove from heat

5. Take cheesecloth bag and squeeze out as much natural pectin as possible over a separate bowl and then add this back to the fruit

6. Puree in blender or food processor

7. Measure out 6 cups of the fruit mixture

8. Add more water to get a total of 6 cups

9. Mix well

NOTE: Prepare canner, jars, and lids now

D. Cook the fruit -- Part 2

1. Ladle all 6 cups of cooked fruit into a clean, large, deep saucepan.

2. Bring saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat.

3. Maintaining boil, gradually stir sugar into pan.

4. Boil hard stirring constantly until the mixture reaches the gel stage, about 15 - 18 minutes

5. Just before gel stage, add Grand Marnier to saucepan

6. Remove from heat and test gel.

7. If gel stage has been reached, skim off foam.

E. Canning the fruit

1. Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace

2. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary by adding hot marmalade

3. Wipe rim

4. Center lid on jar

5. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight

6. Place jars in canner, insuring that they are completely covered with water.

7. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.

8. Remove canner lid

9. Wait 5 minutes

10. Remove jars, cool, and store.