Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Orange Marmalade

Recipe No: 224
Last week one of our friends came with a bunch of Oranges to see my 'sick husband'... As there were already some Oranges in my fruit basket, I decided to make some Marmalade, which my husband loves a lot.
Ingredients                                   Makes 2 pints
  • Orange…………………….1/2 Kg
  • Water……………………..4 Cups
  • Sugar………………………3 ½ Cups
  • Citric acid………………..3/4 Teaspoon
Method of Preparation
  1. Keep a plate in the freezer before starting the process so that it will be perfectly cold and ready to test the readiness of the Marmalade.
  2. Wash the Oranges thoroughly; cut them into two (I prefer to cut it lengthwise so that it is easy to take the tips off) and slice it as thin as possible.
  3. Boil the sliced Oranges together with Water in a non reactive pan on high heat till it boils and then reduce the heat to medium and boil it for another 20 minutes or till the Orange skin is a bit soft.
  4. Add the Sugar and Citric Acid to the cooked Oranges and boil it on high for 15 minutes.
  5. Skim off the form that appears on top of the cooking Oranges; lower the heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes or till it is ready. Readiness of the Marmalade can be checked by pouring some liquid portion of the Marmalade on top of a chilled plate; wait for 10- 12 seconds and draw a line through the middle. If the divided halves are not flowing together again, then it is ready to be bottled.
  6. Transfer it into bottles and follow the canning process if you prefer (Please read my post on canning (here) if you are interested) and store it in a cool place.
  7. Serve it at room temperature on top of Breads, Crackers etc:
Notes:
  • As we use acid (Citric Acid) in this recipe, it is preferable to use a non reactive vessel like a Stainless Steel pan. It is good not to use Aluminum or Non Stick cook wares.
  • The Marmalade will look kind of runny when it is done, but it will harden up as it sits. Don’t over reduce it or it will become a bit hard to spread when cold.
  • The use of Citric Acid is very important as it provides an acidic medium for Pectin, a carbohydrate present in the cell wall of ripe fruits, which are capable of forming gels when dissolved in water in an acidic medium. (This is mostly made use in making Jams, Jellies and Preserves.) You can substitute this with Lime or Lemon Juice. But some sort of Acid is very important. (For more details please read my post on Strawberry Preserve here)
  • Citric Acid is readily available in most of the Indian stores. (A fine white powder)
  • This Marmalade will stay good outside in cool conditions for weeks, but if you are sure that it is not going to finish in one month, either can it or keep the extra in the refrigerator.
  • After opening a canned Marmalade use it within 2-3 weeks or keep the leftover in the refrigerator. (So I prefer to can it in small bottles.)
 





Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

7 comments:

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Your marmalade looks just as good as store bought one...super dear...next time I wud try this...your pics are also fantastic...

Vimitha Durai said...

Perfect looking marmalade...

Lifewithspices said...

Perfect looking .. def will try with the oranges in my fridge..

My Kitchen Antics said...

wow u made marmalade??? im super impressed...love tat first click

Unknown said...

Woww...Great color

Priya Suresh said...

Never tried marmalade at home, its looks fabulous,thanks for sharing..

sojo said...

Love the pic... looks toooooooooooooo gooood. I have oranges in the fridge and this is giving me ideas....

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