Blood Orange Marmalade
I am often inspired to create a new recipe by something delicious at our local butcher, farmer’s market, or grocery store. This is just that sort of recipe. I discovered a beautiful supply of blood oranges at our local produce market and couldn’t wait to find a good use for them.
Once I brought those blood oranges home, it became clear how I was going to use them. Every winter, I make several batches of my clementine marmalade to stock our pantry. These first months of the year are prime citrus fruit season and I do my best to take advantage of the ripe fruit that are so delicious during a time of year when there so little fruit is in season. It stood to reason that these blood oranges would taste delicious in their own version of the marmalade we love so much.
If you haven’t tried blood oranges, you’re in for a real treat. First, let’s talk about the brilliant reddish color that gives them their name. It’s unlike anything else I cook with here in the Farmhouse Kitchen. They have a gorgeous red color with a deep orange undertone. They’re simply beautiful.
Beyond their fabulous color, blood oranges also have a very distinct flavor. They’re sweet and tart and bring both of those flavors to this recipe for marmalade. Unlike the clementine version I have been making for years, this blood orange marmalade has a tart note that gives it an incredible depth of flavor.
I have been enjoying this blood orange marmalade on slices of buttered toast for breakfast and served on top of yogurt as a yummy afternoon snack. It’s such a delicious citrusy flavor that pairs beautifully with butter and whole milk yogurt. I can’t wait to enjoy it spooned over a slice of homemade pound cake this weekend.
I hope that you’ll give this blood orange marmalade a try. I’ll be busy making a double batch to start filling our pantry with pretty Mason jars filled with this gorgeous marmalade to last us through the year. With any luck, we’ll have enough stored away to make it until next year’s blood orange season.
If you’d like to learn more about the tools I use when making this recipe, you can find them right here:
Blood Orange Marmalade
Ingredients
- 8 blood oranges
- granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash the oranges and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the oranges will make it easier to slice them.
- Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice six of the oranges approximately 1/8″ thick. Remove any seeds and place the slices in large saucepan. Add cold water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for ten minutes. Drain the oranges and discard the cooking liquid.
- Once the simmered oranges are cool enough to handle, roughly chop them using a knife or food processor until they are the desired texture. Weigh or measure the fruit and return the chopped oranges to the saucepan. Add sugar to the saucepan equal to the weight or measure of the fruit.
- If you plan to can the marmalade, prepare the canning pot with a rack in the bottom by filling with water and bringing it to a boil. If you don’t have a canning rack, use my tip for making your own. Sterilize the half pint canning jars and lids and keep warm until ready to use.
- Juice the remaining two oranges. If necessary, add water to the juice in order to equal one half cup of liquid. Add this liquid to the saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and boil until the mixture passes the gel test when allowed to cool on the chilled plates set aside in the freezer. This process will take between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the amount of liquid in your batch.
- Once the mixture has passed the gel test, remove the marmalade from the heat. At this point, the marmalade can be stored in a container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator. If you prefer to can the marmalade for long term storage, ladle hot marmalade into sterilized half-pint jars.
- Remove air bubbles from the side of the jar. Using a clean cloth, remove any residue from the rim of the jar. Place a lid on the jar and tighten with band. Gently lower the filled jar into the boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars have been added to the pot. Place lid on canning pot. Return water to a boil.
- Process half-pint jars of marmalade for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove lid from pot. Allow to sit for five minutes. Carefully remove jars to a towel lined baking sheet. Allow jars to cool up to 24 hours before checking the seals and labeling the jars for storage.