Ingredients
345g sweet oranges
345g limes
1 lemon
1.4kg granulated, cane sugar
1.75 litres water
70ml Cointreau
- Weigh the preserving pan without the lid and record the weight. Halve and juice the fruit. Pour the juice and water into the pan.
- Remove the inner membranes ( not the pith) from the limes, oranges and lemon. Chop finely then mix with the pips and any pulpy remains from the juicing. Tie these up in a piece of thin cotton muslin, 36cm x 36cm. Add the bag to the pan.
- Quarter the halved oranges, limes and and lemon. Turn them peel side down and shred into strips. Add these to the pan. Leave overnight to soften the peel.
- Next day, bring the pan to the boil with the lid on, turn down the heat and simmer gently, for two hours.
- Squeeze out the liquid from the muslin bag back into the pan. Discard the muslin bag. Weigh the pan and look for a weight of the empty weight ( see step 1 ) plus 1.25kg. If the total weight is more, return the un lidded pan to the heat and simmer gently until the desired weight is reached. Do a pectin test.
- Warm the sugar in a low oven, 120C for 20 minutes.
- Dissolve the sugar over a low heat. Place clean jars in the oven to warm through.
- Bring the pan to a rolling boil and test for a set after 8 minutes using the flake test. Once setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the jars from the oven.
- Remove any scum with a metal spoon by pushing it to the side of the spoon and then discarding it. Add the Cointreau. Gently stir the marmalade to distribute the peel. Fill the jars to the brim and seal them immediately with new twist top lids. Leave the jars upright and undisturbed to cool and set.
Pressure Cooker Method
1. Halve and juice the fruit. Pour the juice and 1 litre of water into a pressure cooker with a capacity of 6 litres. Put the pips and any pulpy remains from the juicing into a piece of thin cotton muslin, 36cm x 36cm. Tie this up with string and add to the pressure cooker.
2. Quarter the halved fruit shells. Turn the shells peel side up and shred the peel Add to the pan. Leave the pan overnight.
3. The next day, bring the pressure cooker to high pressure, turn down the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Let the cooker cool down until it is safe to release the lid.
4. Remove the muslin bag and put it into a sieve suspended over the pan. Using a large spoon press any liquid from the bag back into the pan. Discard the bag.
5. Weigh a preserving pan, empty and un lidded and record the weight. Transfer the mixture from the pressure cooker to the pan. Check the weight of the ingredients in the pan, it should be around 1.25kg. Reduce to the desired weight if necessary by gently simmering the pan, checking the weight every few minutes
6. Warm the sugar in a low oven, 120C. for 20 minutes.
7. Dissolve the sugar over a low heat. Place clean jars in the oven to warm through.
8. Bring the pan to a rolling boil and test for a set after 8 minutes using the flake test. Once setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat to cool for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the jars from the oven.
9. Remove any scum with a metal spoon by pushing it to the side of the spoon and then discarding it. Add the Cointreau. Gently stir the marmalade to distribute the peel. Fill the jars to the brim and seal them immediately with new twist top lids. Leave the jars upright and undisturbed to cool and set.