Today I’m featuring a guest post by fellow Montreal blogger Hilary Morden. The great news is that her photos are tons better than mine! So for more, check out her site, Cocoabeanthevegetable.com. She’s big into sweets but also big into balancing the sugar frenzy with healthy, nutritious meals. I’m a big fan of her “Unfinished Business” page of recipes she’s dreaming of eventually making. We all need a little inspiration sometimes. Speaking of which, if you’re dreaming of marmalade, here’s some motivation. Thanks, Hilary!
Grapefruits really are the perfect fruit for marmalade: they smell slightly floral and have a great sweet-bitter balance. Also, their thick skin offers a larger dose of natural pectin, thickening your confection with just a bit of heat and water. This marmalade recipe is slightly bitter due to the pith of the grapefruit (the white part of the peel). The bitterness contrasts beautifully with the sweetness and aromatic nature of the grapefruit itself, and the crystallized ginger adds a tangy kick. It makes a beautiful golden marmalade that can be wrapped as a homemade gift!
I love this marmalade on toast with butter in the morning, or stirred into plain yogurt: the ginger pieces are a great caffeine-free stimulate to help you wake up during the dark winter mornings!
Ruby Grapefruit and Crystallized Ginger Marmalade
Ingredients:
– 3 large pink grapefruits
– 2 lemons
– 1 kg sugar
– 100g crystallized ginger, chopped finely
Directions:
1. Rinse the fruits and then slice them into quarters. The grapefruits will probably have to be divided into eighths. Thinly slice.
2. Add the grapefruit and lemon pieces into a large pot and fill with 6 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the ginger and bring the mixture back up to a boil. Allow it to boil gently for 50 minutes or until set. You can test if it’s ready by putting a bit on a plate and putting the plate in a freezer for two minutes. After two minutes the mixture should be semi-solid and quite sticky.
4. Ladle the marmalade into nine 250 mL canning jars (make sure you sanitize them!) and seal them with your preferred method. Alternatively, you can skip the seal and simply keep in the fridge for about two weeks.
Make cute labels if desired and voila! 🙂
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