Does anyone have good grapefruit marmalade recipes?
So far I've found extremes: kilo of sugar per kilo of grapefruit, vs cup of sugar per kilo of grapefruit but needing pectin + calcium phosphate to thicken it.
Our grapefruit tree produces large, chartreuse-fleshed fruit with quite a bit of pith and strong segment dividers. It is relatively sweet - we juice them and drink as-is.
I guess I could experiment and start somewhere in the middle with small batches until I perfect it.
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As an update, I made a small batch (ended up with 3x350ml jars) to Tara's recipe but with one orange added (since my in-laws brought over the last of theirs), although I think I messed up the quantity of water through not reading properly. I used a 0.8 sugar/pulp ratio. Taste was perfectly balanced, but it didn't set. I'll do another batch trying to get the water right, and if that doesn't set I'll add a bit of pectin rather than more sugar.
I don't mind the slow process, as it divides it into three easily-managed tasks. Tackling it all in one big session is too easily put off until another day!
•6 grapefruit
•4 lemons
•3 litres cold water for each kg of fruit
•equal weight of sugar to fruit/water
Instructions
1.Cut each fruit in quarters and slice the quarters through pulp and rind as thin as possible, discarding all seeds.
2.Weigh the prepared fruit and add 3 litres of cold water to each kg of fruit.
3.Set aside for twenty-four hours.
4.Let boil gently until the rind is perfectly tender, then set aside until the next day.
5.Weight the material and add an equal weight of sugar to pulp
6.Let cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. When it thickens, and sort of "plops" when boiling it's ready. Pour into steralised jars and seal.
Hello Richard, my recipe for jelly shred marmalade uses 1 kg fruit to sugar with 1 litre of water but if your fruit are really sweet, you could probably reduce to sugar to 800 kg and it should still set without any problem.
Weigh & wash your grapefruit into 1 kg batches, top & tail and cut into 1/8ths or 1/6ths depending on the size of the fruit, using a paring knife, separate the peel from the pulp. Place the tops & tails and pulp into the food processor and whizz to a pulp. Slice the peel very finely and place into a pressure cooker.
Pour the pulp into a muslin drawstring bag and add to the pressure cooker with the finely shredded peel.
(I buy the muslin from our local fabric shop, sew them into A4 sized bags with a strip of cotton tape about 2" down from the top machined into the side seam to tie the bag up).
Add 1 litre of water, bring to pressure and boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and when the pressure is released, carefully hang the muslin bag of pulp over the pot & drip for minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Transfer cooked peel and liquid to your preserving pan, discard the pulp and bring to the boil. Add sugar and when fully dissolved, hard boil for 15 -20 minutes. Pot into warmed jars and seal immediately. If the peel rises, turn the jar upside down for about 15-20 minutes but remember to turn back right side up or you'll have an air bubble on the bottom of the jar. You can also prepare all the fruit and freeze, just don't process the pulp until after you've defrosted it. Let me know how your marmalade turns out. regards, Megan
Hello Richard, if you are able to borrow a pressure cooker, do try making your marmalade with one. The pressure cooker eliminates the need to soak the peel overnight, reduces the cooking time to soften the peel and because there's no evaporation of the water during the initial cooking process, there's no need to measure/weigh the volume of liquid and cooked pulp - it is always an equal ratio of 1kg fruit to sugar & 1 litre liquid (or more sugar to taste if you prefer). Since I make 50kgs seville oranges into marmalade each year, the time saved has been worth the expense :)
By the way, how did Tara's recipe turn out for you?
Replies
I don't mind the slow process, as it divides it into three easily-managed tasks. Tackling it all in one big session is too easily put off until another day!
•4 lemons
•3 litres cold water for each kg of fruit
•equal weight of sugar to fruit/water
Instructions
1.Cut each fruit in quarters and slice the quarters through pulp and rind as thin as possible, discarding all seeds.
2.Weigh the prepared fruit and add 3 litres of cold water to each kg of fruit.
3.Set aside for twenty-four hours.
4.Let boil gently until the rind is perfectly tender, then set aside until the next day.
5.Weight the material and add an equal weight of sugar to pulp
6.Let cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. When it thickens, and sort of "plops" when boiling it's ready. Pour into steralised jars and seal.
Weigh & wash your grapefruit into 1 kg batches, top & tail and cut into 1/8ths or 1/6ths depending on the size of the fruit, using a paring knife, separate the peel from the pulp. Place the tops & tails and pulp into the food processor and whizz to a pulp. Slice the peel very finely and place into a pressure cooker.
Pour the pulp into a muslin drawstring bag and add to the pressure cooker with the finely shredded peel.
(I buy the muslin from our local fabric shop, sew them into A4 sized bags with a strip of cotton tape about 2" down from the top machined into the side seam to tie the bag up).
Add 1 litre of water, bring to pressure and boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and when the pressure is released, carefully hang the muslin bag of pulp over the pot & drip for minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Transfer cooked peel and liquid to your preserving pan, discard the pulp and bring to the boil. Add sugar and when fully dissolved, hard boil for 15 -20 minutes. Pot into warmed jars and seal immediately. If the peel rises, turn the jar upside down for about 15-20 minutes but remember to turn back right side up or you'll have an air bubble on the bottom of the jar. You can also prepare all the fruit and freeze, just don't process the pulp until after you've defrosted it. Let me know how your marmalade turns out. regards, Megan
Since we have neither a pressure cooker nor food processor, I might run with Tara's method first up.
By the way, how did Tara's recipe turn out for you?