Visiting Daufuskie in January? Stop by the Iron Fish! Not only do you get to enjoy Chase’s beautiful coastal inspired, authentically Daufuskie metal artwork, but you can snag some delicious sour oranges.
Never heard of them? Nor had I until Chase introduced me to his most prolific tree at the gallery. Sour oranges are traditionally found south of us; in the Caribbean, central America, etc. They are excellent for numerous cooking endeavors, from marinades to marmalades.
Homemade bread was rising in my kitchen this past weekend, so I thought some sour orange marmalade sounded perfect! I took from a few recipes found online, as well as Chase’s rendition. Take a look below! Snag some oranges from the Iron Fish and experiment in your kitchen!
Sour Orange Marmalade
Sour Orange Marmalade30 Sour Oranges
2 – 3 cups raw cane sugar (dependent on how sweet you want it)
2 lemons
2 limes
cheesecloth or muslin jelly bag
4-5 cups of water
- Wash all sour oranges; make sure to wash the peels well, as they will go into the marmalade
- Cut the oranges in half and juice them. They are very soft; juicing by hand was no problem. Add the juice of two lemons and two limes to the mixture, if you so choose.
- Spoon out the seeds and membrane of 15 of the sour oranges. Set this aside. Julienne the rinds.
- Place the seeds and membrane into the cheesecloth and tie off the top of it (or put into a muslin jelly bag). The seeds and membrane release pectin, which allows for the marmalade to thicken.
- Place the juice, 4-5 cups of water and the pectin bag into a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Check the peels. You want them very soft. When the sugar is added, the peels will caramelize a bit, so make sure they simmer long enough to become soft.
- Once the peels are soft, remove the pectin bag. Be sure to squeeze out any pectin from the outside of the bag once it has cooled.
- Add the sugar and bring the mixture back up to a boil. I used 2 cups of sugar and found it plenty sweet, but most recipes call for double that.
- Watch the marmalade as it boils. If you have a candy thermometer, you’re looking to get it to a temp of 218 – 222 F. Be careful not to over boil. A great test is the plate test. (I just learned this!) Place a glass plate in the freezer once you start boiling the mixture. After about 15 minutes, spoon some of the marmalade on that glass plate. Using your finger, push the marmalade along the plate; if it begins to fold into wrinkles, it’s ready. If it just moves along the plate and doesn’t stiffen into a wrinkle, you’re not quite there.
- Once it wrinkles on the cold plate, remove the marmalade from the heat and transfer to a glass jar.
It’s perfect for fresh bread or on top of some plain Greek yogurt! Enjoy!
