Marmalade Making Hints
(1)
Wednesday, June 28, 2000
HINTS
An added few tablespoons of rum or orange liqueur has a great enhancing effect.
For a chunkier jam add peeled diced green apples, giving the jam extra texture and a touch of crisp flavour, Add with the other fruit.
To give a touch of the unusual to peach or nectarine jam, try adding finely chopped almonds with a little Amaretto liquid.
Port would be a lovely addition to plum jam. Chopped fresh ginger or crystallised ginger would be another lovely addition. Add the fresh ginger at the beginning of cooking. A few tablespoons of Stones Green Ginger Wine would taste stunning.
Chopped, roasted hazelnuts would also taste good with any of the fruit. Chop roughly and add to the jam at the end of cooking, also add a touch of hazelnut liqueur or orange flavoured liqueur.
If adding nuts, put them in at the end of the process, allowing the jam to cool a little before stirring in the nuts so they don't float to the top.
To test whether jam has reached setting point, place a saucer in the fridge or freezer to cool Place a little jam on the cooled saucer. If the jam gels and the skin wrinkles when pushed with a finger the jam is ready. If not ready return to heat and continue boiling a little longer, then test again.
To sterilise jars, wash them thoroughly, then rinse in hot water and invert over a oven rack. Place upright in a slow 150C oven for 30min. Boil lids and rinse in very hot water. To minimise the risk of the jars cracking, ladle jam into jars while the jars are still hot.
MARMALADE
In order to distribute peel evenly in the marmalade, you must allow the preserve to cool slightly after cooking,. Stir briskly then pour into jars.
Times of cooking may vary according to the size of your pan & speed of cooking.
To test if peel ,is soft take a piece between your thumb & forefinger. If you cannot rub the peel till almost nothing, you must continue cooking before adding the sugar. If you add the sugar before the peel is softened, you tend to toughen the peel & this will spoil the marmalade.
Although citrus fruits, such as lemons & bitter oranges have a high degree of setting quality, this is very quickly passed, so do test your marmalades very carefully for setting.
Although you must simmer the fruit for a long time to soften the peel, do not over cook, otherwise you tend to spoil the colour.
Remember the more white pith you put into the marmalade, the more bitter it will be, so if you do not like a bitter marmalade tie the pips in muslin.
USING THE PRESSURE COOKER FOR JAMS & MARMALADES.
With fruits that take a long time to become tender, it is an excellent idea to use your pressure cooker to soften the fruit for jams or the peel for marmalades. Do not cook for too long a period because 1min under pressure is the equivalent of several minutes cooking in a n ordinary saucepan. If you over-cook, you lose both the colour & the flavour of the fruit & you tend to destroy the natural setting properties.
When the fruit has been softened in the pressure cooker, you must allow the pressure to drop gradually. You then take off the lid & from then onwards you use your pressure cooker as an ordinary preserving pan.
A normal everyday chux cloth may be substituted for muslin.
Jars can be sterilised convectionally. On high for 5 - 6min.
Microwave jams retain original colour & flavour
It's the pectin that naturally occurs in fruit that sets the jam or jelly. As the fruit ripens, the pectin turns to sugar so the best fruits for jam & jelly-making are under-ripe fruits, oranges & lemons which contain pectin in the skin & pips.
Sugar acts as a preservative & it's the balance between the pectin & the sugar & the liquid that allows a good setting. It is therefore unwise to use less sugar. Best stick to the recipe.
When making the marmalades the skins should be cooked until tender. The pips should be included, tied in a bag for easy removal, as they also contain pectin.
When cooking the skins till tender, be sure to follow the directions. If it says a gentle boil, rapid boiling will still make the skin tender but also boil some of the liquid away. A lid will retain the steam. This may be vital to the recipe.
The sugar is usually calculated on the amount of fruit & liquid at a cup-for-cup measure. I find it strange that most recipe books say cook to jell point but don't point out that jell point should occur 20-30min. after adding the sugar.
If you've cooked rapidly & the proportions are correct, longer boiling will tend to spoil the jam. So it's important to have the right amount of liquid, fruit (which means pectin) to start with. Follow the recipe & you will get good results.
Another important point rarely mentioned is that the fruit skins should be tender before adding the sugar. If they are not tender enough, the sugar added will only toughen them.
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