Best Oxford Marmalade Recipes

GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE

Steps:

• Inspect two 5-ounce jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse in simmering water until marmalade is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• Thoroughly wash and dry the grapefruits. Run a zester around 2 grapefruits to produce ribbons of zest. Set aside. Cut away thin strips of peel from the other two grapefruits with a sharp paring knife.
• Peel off all remaining outer white parts of the fruit and discard. Cut the grapefruits into wheels. Remove any seeds.
• Put grapefruit wheels and zest strips into a non-reactive saucepan. Add sugar and stir well to cover fruit. Heat over medium-high heat until bubbling, mixing constantly. Smash the heated fruit until it liquefies. Reduce heat to low and cook over a steady boil, stirring often. Remove and discard any persistent white froth that won't disappear after being stirred. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes until marmalade begins to coat the back of a spoon.
• Add zest ribbons and cook for 5 minutes more. Place a small amount of marmalade on a plate and put it in the freezer. Test the consistency after 3 minutes.
• Remove the marmalade from the heat when the freezer sample meets your desired consistency.
• Pack grapefruit jam into 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 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.

OXFORD MARMALADE

Steps:

• Wash and weigh the fruit. Put into a large pan with (1 pint for every 500g of fruit) water. Cover and let boil for 1 hour.
• Place a colander over a bowl. Transfer the fruit and its liquid to the colander, and let the liquid drain to the bowl below. Reserve the liquid.
• Chop the fruit into quarters. Remove the pips and set them aside. Chop the fruit into equal sized pieces - thinly or coarsely - depending on how chunky you like your marmalade. Wrap the pips in a muslin bag.
• Pour the reserved cooking liquid back into the pan and add the sugar. Use 500g sugar for the same weight of fruit. Stir the mixture over a low heat to dissolve the sugar, then boil the syrup for about 5 minutes. Use a metal spoon to remove any scum on the surface. Stir in the fruit and bag of pips.
• Continue boiling until the setting point is reached (this will be roughly 30-40 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the muslin pip bag and skim the marmalade. Allow it to cool slightly before spooning it into sterilized jars. (To sterilize jars, put in oven at 100 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes).

THREE FRUIT MARMALADE

Steps:

• Remove seeds from fruits. Put through food grinder. Measure and put into large saucepan.
• For each 1 cup pulp, add 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Simmer for 20 minutes. Boil rapidly, stirring 2 or 3 times, for 20 minutes. Measure quantity.
• To each 1 cup pulp, add 1 1/2 cups sugar. Return to a boil, stirring.
• Boil rapidly until thickened and a small amount cooled on a chilled saucer jells. This will take about 20 minutes.
• Pour into hot sterilized half pint jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Place sterilized metal lids on jars and screw metal bands on securely. For added assurance against spoilage, you may choose to process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

DARK MUSCOVADO & WHISKY MARMALADE

Steps:

• Place the whole oranges and lemon juice in a large preserving pan and cover with 2 litres/ 4 pints water. If this is not enough to cover the fruit, put it in a smaller pan. If necessary, weight the oranges with a heat-proof plate to keep them under the water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for about 2 hours, or until the peel can be pierced easily with a fork.
• Warm half of the white and dark sugar in a very low oven. Pour off the cooking water from the oranges into a jug and tip the oranges into a bowl. Return the cooking liquid to the pan. Leave the oranges to cool until they are easy to handle, then cut them in half. Scoop out all the pips and pith and add these to reserved orange liquid in the pan. Bring to the boil for 6 minutes then strain this liquid through a sieve into a bowl, pressing the pulp through with a wooden spoon; the result is high in pectin, which helps to ensure the marmalade has a good set.
• Pour half this liquid into a preserving pan. Cut the peel into chunky shreds, using a sharp knife. Add half the peel to the liquid in the preserving pan with the warm white and dark muscovado sugars. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and bubble rapidly for 15-25 minutes until setting point is reached. Stir in half the whisky.
• Take the pan off the heat and skim any scum from the surface. (To dissolve any excess scum, drop a small knob of butter on the surface, and gently stir.) Leave the marmalade to stand in the pan for 20 minutes to cool a little and to allow the peel to settle, then pot in sterilised jars, seal and label. Repeat for the remaining batch.