The Proper Marmalade Company: Seville Orange Marmalade

I can't believe it's that time of year again!  There are only a couple of seasons that I keep track of, and they aren't spring, summer, fall, and winter.  They are: Seville orange season, ramp season, morel mushroom season, and truffle season.  Yes, I know I have a problem.  And no matter what, as soon as I see those Seville oranges, I immediately purchase a bagful and worry about making something later.  This time I decided to try a marmalade recipe from a company in the UK because that's basically the homeland for orange marmalade.  This one is a little different in that you cook the whole oranges and only cut up the peel after they're nice and soft.  This actually ended up as a multiple day project, but the end result is pretty tasty.  It firms up pretty well, but keep some liquid pectin on hand in case you want it a little bit firmer.

Note: I ended up adding about 6 pounds of sugar to the mix, as I had 6 pints of liquid and peel.

Seville Orange Marmalade
From The Proper Marmalade Company

3 pounds Seville oranges
2 large lemons
6 pints water
Granulated sugar (exact quantity will depend on the juice content of the fruit, see recipe)

Wash the fruit to remove all dust and dirt.

Cooking the fruit whole makes the skins easier to cut. Put the whole fruit in a pot, lemons on the bottom, cover with the water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover.

After about 20 to 30 minutes turn the fruit over so the lemons are at the top and the top fruit submerged. Simmer for a further 20 minutes. They are done when a knife pierces the orange skin with little resistance.  Take off the heat, keep lid on and allow to go cold, preferably overnight.

Keep all the cooking water. Cut the fruit in half and squeeze. You can use an electric squeezer or scoop out the flesh with a spoon and fork. Add the pulp and juice to the cooking water but discard all pips.

Slice each half-orange skin in half again, then cut width-ways into strips as thick or thin as you like. Add the shredded skin to the reserved juice, cooking water and measure. For each pint of this mixture, you will need one pound of sugar.  Return the prepared fruit mix to the pot and add the sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 30 minutes only.

Test for a set: with a metal spoon take a small sample of the liquid, dribble a little onto a saucer, placing the spoon and the saucer in the fridge for a few mins. One or other of the samples should wrinkle when nudged with your finger . Stir, then let the marmalade stand for 15 minutes before canning for even distribution of peel. A skin may start to form which can be stirred in before canning. If the wrinkle test didn’t work, and no skin starts to form, reboil for no more than 5 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars and seal immediately.

Makes about 8 half pint jars