Orange Marmalade...

I don't have much time to read the paper. However every week my living room floor seems to inherit a copy of Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald and so, on Sunday I like to sit quietly and read  the Spectrum. It was in this publication that I found Frank Camorra's recipe for Mildura Orange Marmalade. Gasping Softly to myself at the anticipated simplicity of the job - the recipe was quickly torn from its page and adhered to a conspicuous place on the fridge door.
Another thing I've recently inherited is a lemon tree that is bursting with big juicy lemons. So all I really needed for the job of Marmalade making was a couple of oranges and some sugar. EASY! The Oranges I sourced from a small orchard in Dural, NSW and I decided to continue to go with the ethically-locally-sourced-flow and use some organic raw sugar.
This is what I did:
The first stage was to cut and soak the fruit overnight.

 (Having now made a couple of marmalade batches, I would like to mention here, that it's better to add plenty of water rather than just enough - otherwise you end up with too much rind and not enough 'jam'.)

The next day I boiled the fruit to soften the skin - this took at least 20 minutes.
I made a few adjustments to the initial recipe at this stage, like measuring the pulp - quite important I believe. Basically you will need to add one cup of sugar to every cup of pulp. I also added 30 mls VSOP Cognac for a bit of extra bite... (next time I may try Cointreau)...
Then I boiled briskly for about 45 mins and didn't forget to skim off the scum!

The thing I love most about this recipe is the amount it makes... Three oranges and just three lemons becomes seven good sized jars of delicious Marmalade!

Red Grape Jelly

It's red globe grape season once more. Luckily this has coincided with a request for: 'more grape jelly please.' The reason that globe grapes are desirable when it comes to jelly making is because of the pips. Apparently this makes them deliciously flavoursome, which in turn makes a mouth watering jelly...

Red Globes

Now I made Grape Jelly last year and did encounter a few problems. The first batch didn't set - it was more like a coulis. So I made a second batch and completely overcompensated and ended up with toffee. Yum you may say, yet toffee in a jar is not much fun and I think I had to throw it out. That's when I bought a sugar thermometer and I've never looked back. It makes things quick(ish) and easy. There are none of those ambiguous jam-setting tests like: just put some on a plate - put that in the freezer and wait for five minutes (mean while the toffee thickens) - then run your finger through and if it ripples then it's ready (my coulis, I had thought, passed that one). You just lower the thermometer into the bubbling mix and when it's 105 degrees you know it'll be spot-on. This takes around 15 minutes of rapid boiling.

The recipe I've been using is from here and I'm proud to say that recently I turned my kilo of grapes into...

And we opened it at breakfast the very next morning...

As you can see the consistency is just right. And the taste is delectable!

Linking up with...

Plum Jam... And Fruit-Aholics

My sister from New Zealand recently brought our mutual four-year-old nephew over for a holiday to see us, most importantly his cousin - Son. So we had two lovely boys playing ever so nicely for a few days (choke choke - no not the boys). Every morning I like to restock my fruit bowl, it's a plate really, bringing fruit from the fridge so it's there on the bench - easy access for hungry mouths. One particular morning the two four-year-olds polished off most of it in just one sitting. My sister looked on in horror and disbelief as the ample supply was ravaged and rampaged by the hungry but cute little beasts. "I'd ration it" was her answer to this 'problem' of quickly disappearing food. But you can't really I feel, as it's all good healthy food and is part of a balanced diet - you should see what else they can eat. I'm used to this sort of thing so I wasn't at all surprised when the two kilos of plums I bought at the market became this...

I had meant to make the jam much earlier and had given Son a bit of a hard time when I caught him eating them. (I'd put the plum bowl in a high cupboard and stuff like that -petty, I know.) So when they started getting soft I thought that I had really best get on to the jam making even though there was such a small amount left. Jam making is a great way to recycle your old jars and that's what I did last year but since the amount was so small I thought I'd make two little ramekins to put straight in the fridge - give one away and keep the other. I'm not sure how long it will keep in the fridge but as nothing lasts long in this house I don't think we're in much danger of it going off. I'll keep you updated. So after a little while those plums became this...

Who said Jam making was tricky? Don't be scared. Here's the recipe:

6 plums halved and stoned
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon Cognac

1)Put plums and water into a heavy based pot. Boil until soft and pulpy.
2)Add sugar slowly and stir until dissolved. Add Cognac.
3)Boil rapidly for 15 mins*, skimming off any scum as it appears.
4)Your jam should be ready to pour into a hot sterilised jar or straight into a ramekin!

*For jam to set it needs to reach a temperature of 105 degrees. Ripeness of fruit, size of pan and boiling speed are all factors in determining this. As Plums are rich in pectin and acid - they naturally have a good setting quality.

And a serving suggestion...

Wholemeal Cranberry & Raisin Scone served with a big dollop of Plum Jam... A great way to start the day.

Linking up with Jodie The Haby Goddess