Pink Grapefruit Marmalade #fijchallenge

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

In Arizona the mild winters and scorching summers produce some pretty amazing citrus. Once again it’s that time of year and our lemon and pink grapefruit trees are bursting with fruit. And once again I am on task to find new and delicious recipes. Last week I prepared a lemon sorbet with satisfying results. This week I decided upon a marmalade; my first. Now my canning skills are pretty shaky and the word marmalade has always conjured up a little of fear but it's the new year and the perfect time to tackle new endeavors.

Supreming the citrus

And to start the new year off right I am currently following along with Marisa’s The Food in Jars Mastery Challenge. It’s a year-long food preservation challenge that will focus on different pickling and preserving skills. The month of January is marmalade making. For this challenge Marisa defines the word marmalade as “a sweetened citrus preserve that consists of bits of peel, suspended in jelly. It should use most of the entire fruit”. Well this recipe certainly embraces this definition as Marisa has you saving and using the membranes and seeds in a cheesecloth packet as a natural pectin. My marmalade thickened up perfectly.

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade, the end of the pot

This Pink Grapefruit Marmalade is sweet and tart and delicious on toast. I bet this would be wonderful on grilled meats too. I had a wonderful experience and can't wait for February's challenge which is salt preserving.

yield: 4 to 5 half-pint ball jarsAuthor: Cheriprint recipe

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

Before you begin put a couple of small empty plates in the freezer for the "plate test". This test will let you know if you have achieved the proper set. Add 1 teaspoon of marmalade to the plate. Push your finger through the mixture on the plate - you're looking for it to wrinkle and not flood back in to fill the gap. If okay, stir for a minute; you are ready to fill jars.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 to 5 pink grapefruit, about 4.5 pounds
• 1 lemon
• 5 to 6 cups sugar
• 4 cups zest poaching liquid

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare Jars, lids and rims. (The USDA is a great resource for tips on sterilizing and preparing your jars).
2. Wash and dry the fruit. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the fruit. Pulse in food processor a few times until you have fine little strips, do not over work. Place zest in a medium-sized soup pot and add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer for 30 minutes, stir occasionally. Remove from burner, set aside.
3. In the meantime, cut the white pith away from the fruit and then separate the fruit from the membranes. Place fruit in measuring cups, I collected about 4 cups worth. Next, cut a piece of cheesecloth; large enough to hold the membranes and seeds in the middle and tie the edges together forming a packet.
4. Next, drain the zest, reserving the cooking liquid. (I had just enough so save every drop).
5. Now you are ready to put your marmalade together. In a medium-sized stainless steel or Dutch-oven pot, combine zest, citrus fruit, 4 cups of zest cooking liquid, 5 to 6 cups of sugar and the cheesecloth packet. I say 5 to 6 because I lost count and was fairly positive that I only added 5 cups as my mixture was sweet enough. Taste, if you are not sure. Less sugar also means more cooking time.
6. Bring to a boil and cook vigorously until the mixture reaches 220 degrees (this takes between 30-40 minutes). Stir occasionally. Watch carefully as the thermometer hardly seems to move in the beginning but will climb quickly towards the end. When the marmalade reaches 220 degrees, complete the plate test,(see top of recipe) if okay remove from heat. Stir for about a minute; this will help the bits of zest to become evenly spread throughout the mixture. Remove the membrane and seed packet; and if possible squeeze over the marmalade before discarding it.(Careful marmalade will be hot, I used a pair of tongs and lightly squeezed all sides).
7. Fill prepared jars; wipe rims, apply lids and rings. Lower jars into a prepared boiling water bath and process for ten minutes at a gentle boil. When time is up, remove jars from the pot and let them cool on your counter completely. The lids should start popping. When they are cool check the seals by pushing down on the top of the lid. Tighten down rims.

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