Try Our Seville Orange Mmmarmalade!

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What makes our Seville Orange Marmalade quite possibly the best marmalade you’ll ever have? First, the fact that my mother-in-law taught me how to make it, who in turn learned to make it from her mother. This proves that my gran’s recipe is tried, tested and delicious! Yet, what truly makes our marmalade taste great, is the hand shredding, top quality ingredients and that we take no shortcuts. 

If that doesn’t convince you, my marmalade won a Bronze at the World Marmalade Awards (hosted in Cumbria, UK) and you will find it at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in November.

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Why you’ll love it

Our marmalade is made from certified organic Seville oranges and they make all the difference. Aside from the health benefits, organic oranges have a better flavour as they have a slightly chunky peel so you get the sweet and the bitter combined, and set more quickly than non-organic oranges – leading to a better quality marmalade.  

The fresher your oranges are when you make your marmalade the better. Over ripe fruit tend to lose some of their pectin so you will have to cook your marmalade down too far in order to achieve set. Seville oranges are generally in season from January to February, so we spend a bit of time creating our marmalade then to ensure the best quality marmalade is produced.

The Process

We make our marmalade the traditional way, with the peel of the orange being hand shredded. If you are looking to enter your marmalade into competitions, you always want to follow the two-day process.  You will end up with a brighter marmalade that is more appealing from an appearance perspective for the judges, trust me as for the past two years I have had the pleasure of being a judge at the Mad for Marmalade Awards at Fort York.

Our marmalade uses all the parts of the orange. The skin is shredded and softened in water, the membrane and the seeds are added to the marmalade to release the natural pectin of the oranges and achieve the perfect set for the marmalade.

Orange You Glad You Tried It

While we believe there’s absolutely no wrong way to eat marmalade (straight from the jar?), we have a few suggestions for you to try out. Our marmalade tastes fabulous as a cheesecake topping and tastes equally as amazing on toast combined with a splash of butter.  Let your taste buds decide.

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Written by Farhana Choudry, Intern

The Road to the Royal

I am not sure what it is about entering preserves contests that I love so much. I think I have Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus to blame. It was the very first competition I ever entered and to my astonishment I came in 2nd in both categories that I entered and then to top it all off I won the amazing door prize. I left buzzing and smiling, and I have been hooked ever since.

At times, my preserves have placed poorly, but instead of being disappointed, I waited with anticipation for the judges cards to see if there would be some feedback. Something that would teach me more about the art of preserving. And other times I have won in a category that completely amazed me. Not because I didn't think I was deserving, but because it was something that at the time was out of my comfort zone

This year, when I received a message from the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair asking if they could highlight my journey on the Road to the Royal, I was so excited I could almost not respond to the email fast enough. I consider it a real honour to have been one of the 4 competitors across multiple categories chosen to be highlighted. 

This year will also be our first year having a booth selling our preserves at The Royal. So if you plan on visiting, be sure to drop by booth #2623 and say hi.

Marmalade - Superfine, Fine, Medium or Thick Cut

Superfine peel - best obtained with a zester

When you make your marmalade, do you slice the peel real thin?

Do you zest it very slowly, or cut it while you grin?

Eat that thick cut, thin cut marmalade, but tell me when I ask,

when you make your marmalade, do you cut the peel real fast?

Fine cut peel - best obtained by cutting the peel off with a sharp knife and then chopping it very fine

Medium Cut Peel - best obtained by juicing the orange and then removing all of the membrane from inside the peel, and then cutting into medium size chunks.

Thick cut peel - best obtained by juicing the orange and then removing all of the membrane from inside the peel, and then cutting into thick size chunks.

Grapefruit Marmalade with Candied Ginger

A couple of months ago I had a conversation with an old friend of mine about flavour combinations. Flavours that when combined made their taste buds happy; such as coffee and cream, or peanut butter and jam. For weeks my mind kept popping back to this chat and some of the flavours we had brought together in what was a really a rather vibrant discussion.

Over the holidays while I was beginning to think about the upcoming marmalade season, a flavour combination came to mind that just wouldn't go away. Grapefruit and candied ginger. So I decided to kick 2014 off with the adaptation of a marmalade recipe that I love, to see if this combination was as good in reality as it had been in my mind. I am happy to report that it was. The sweetness of the ruby red grapefruit combined with the subtle heat of the candied ginger is really quite lovely.

Thsi recipe takes a little time as I am suggesting you supreme the grapefruit so you exclude the skin and the majority of the pith. This makes for a less bitter marmalade which I think was needed in order to more fully complement the candied ginger.

Grapefruit marmalade with Candied Ginger (adapted from Linda J Amendt Grapefruit Marmalade)

Ingredients

1 cup of grapefruit peel or fine zest
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup strained grapefruit juice
3/4 cup water

1/8 tsp baking soda

2 3/4 cup supremed and finely chopped grapefruit segments

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

5 cups sugar

1/2 cups finely chopped candied ginger (you can go up to 3/4 cup if you want a stronger ginger flavour)

1 - 3oz liquid pectin

Directions

Combine the peel and the water in a small bowl and let soak for 10-15 minutes. Drain and then discard the water.

In a medium sized pan, combine the pre-soaked peel, the grapefruit juice, 3/4 cup water and baking soda. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Giving an occasional stir to ensure zest is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add in the supremed grapefruit, cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Stir in the sugar and candied ginger. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and then turn heat up to medium high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in all 3 oz of liquid pectin and return mixture to a rolling boil (one that can not be stirred down) stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute and then remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam.

Allow the marmalade to cool for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) before ladelling into pre-sterilized jars. Leaving 1/4" headspace. Process for 10 minutes. Yields 6 - 250ml jars.

Guest post - Marmalade Goat's Cheese Ice Cream

Thank you Allen B for this fabulous guest post. I love the innovative way you used Manning Canning Marmalade!

I love raspberries. Always have. Always  will. And Christine’s Raspberry Jam takes me back to the raspberry bushes of my Saskatchewan childhood every time I open the jar. In fact, it was my love affair with her jam that led me to try – and love - her marmalades; the beautifully bittersweet (and oh-so-hard-to-get) Grapefruit and the bold, punchy Orange with Vanilla.

In fact, it was over breakfast with the Orange and Vanilla marmalade, thinking about Christine and James’ visit later in the week, when the idea for the perfect dessert hit me!  The creamy tang of a goat cheese ice cream would complement the dark tart and sweetness of Manning Canning’s Orange marmalade brilliantly. Of course, I thought, a heavy drizzle of a Bourbon Caramel Sauce would take it all the way to epic!

Judging from the look on everyone’s face as we dove into those bowls of creamy, gooey goodness, I was right. Nailed it.

Orange Marmalade and Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, OH has perfected an eggless ice cream recipe. Buy her book and make your own ice cream. You’ll be happy. This is adapted from her basic vanilla recipe.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

2 cups milk
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 tbsp. goat cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla paste or extract

4 tbsp. Manning Canning Orange and Brown Sugar Marmalade (or Old Fashioned Marmalade)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a 4-qt. saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in 1/4 cup hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk mixture. Pour mixture into a plastic bag; seal, and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled.

While ice cream mixture is cooling, drop marmalade onto a cutting board and chop long strands of orange rind into smaller pieces. Refrigerate until needed.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ½ of ice cream mixture to a storage container and, using ½ of the marmalade, drop 3-4 dollops randomly on top of the mixture. Transfer the remaining ice cream mixture to the container and, using the same technique, drop the remaining marmalade in several spots on top of the mixture. Run you spoon through the spots of marmalade to distribute it through the ice cream mixture. You only want to swirl the marmalade through so one or two swipes through the mixture should do it. Do not over stir!   Freeze until set. 

Serve with a generous helping of Martha Stewart’s ridiculously perfect Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce. And then roll your eyes to the back of your head and smile.

Marmalade is back and Pickled Celery has arrived

It has become a bi tof a tradition that every winter when the Seville Oranges arrive my mother in law and I get together for a day and make marmalade. It is from a cookbook that her mother had and her mother's mother had before her. The spine is cracked and the pages have yellowed, but the recipe is still as good today as it was the day it was printed.

This year was no different, except this year we weren't just making marmalade for our personal use, this year I was making it in preparation for the farmer's market. I was amazed last year at how many customers loved the flavour of this old fashioned marmalade and was not going to arrive empty handed for this year's market.

But the creating did not stop with marmalade this weekend. I have been working on a recipe for pickled celery for a while now and have landed on a recipe that I think is perfect. I already have some on the shelves that has been aging for a few weeks now and next weekend it will be time to deliver it to The Meat Dept. So get your tastebuds prepared and have clamato juice on hand, because these babies are going to have you craving Worchestershire and Tabasco Sauce!

3 tips for delicious marmalade

My mother in law makes a mean traditional seville orange marmalade. Perhaps it is because she is Bristish and it is in her dna? Whatever the case, her marmalade is the first that I have ever liked. Generally speaking I have found marmalade to be too bitter but the marmalade that she packs into her jars has a deep orange flavour that over rides the bitterness.

There are a few tips I have learned through making marmalade at her side and a few I have picked up along the way as I experimented with marmalades made with meyer lemons, pink grapefruit and even limes.

If you are planning on making marmalade, I have a few tips to share:

• briefly soak your citrus peels or zest in water before making your marmalade. This helps remove some of the bitterness from the peels
• add between 1/2 tsp to a full tsp of unsalted butter to the marmalade as it cooks. This will reduce the amount of foam that needs to be skimmed off at the end. You will end up with a nice clear marmalade.
• Take the little extra time to supreme your oranges. You will notice a hige difference as the final product will taste more of fruit and less of the pith.

No go forth and make marmalade

For the Love of Grapefruit

It feels like I have been waiting weeks for Seville Oranges to be in season so I can make marmalade. Anyone who knows me knows how much I detest the large grocery stores and grocery shopping in general, but my desire for marmalade has me stopping into Loblaws or the Metro on almost a daily basis.

Friday - I could take the waiting no longer and decided to make marmalade with perhaps the most refreshing citrus; grapefruit. I love the bitter sweet bite of ruby red grapefruit and wondered how it would translate into a marmalade. My official taste tester James tells me that it cleanses the palette and is refreshing. I could barely wait to toast up a crumpet to see how it fared on my morning toast.

The recipe itself is quite time consuming and the output was rather small. This is coming from someone who likes to preserve in 'bulk'. But the flavour is well worth the work. I can tell that this will become part of my regular preserve cupboard and that we won't do without grapefruit marmalade in the future.

I bought 9 large red grapefruits and ended up using the zest from all 9 of the grapefuit, but only the fruit from about 5 of them. The rest I chopped up to make a fruit salad.

1 cup grapefruit zest
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
3/4 cup water
1/8 tsp baking powder
3 cups supremed and finely chopped grapefruit (never supremed a grapefruit before..check out this video)
5 cups sugar
1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1 3oz liquid pectin

Combine the zest and 1 cup water and let sit for 5-10 minutes and then drain.
Combine the peel with the grapefruit juice, 3/4 cup water and the baking soda. Over med/high heat bring to a full boil.

Reduce heat and cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring 2-3 times. Stir in the fruit, cover and simmer 10 mins more.

Stir in the sugar and butter. Stirring constantly until the sugar completely dissolves. This took about 10 minutes.

Increase the heat to med/high stirring constantly bring to a full rolling bowl. It is important to continually stir as it allows the ingredients to come to a rolling bowl slowly and for some of the liquid to evaporate.

Stir in the pectin and once again stir constantly and bring to a full rolling boil. I boiled for 3 minutes until the jam was at a consistency I liked and then I removed the pan from the heat. You may need to skim off any foam, I did not have any.

Let it sit for 5 minutes so that the fruit settles, give a quick stir and then ladle into your jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims and the threads with a damp cloth or paper towel and cover with your lids. Process 250ml jars for 10 minutes.

If you prefer a 'zestier' marmalade you could also finely slice the grapefruit peel and use it instead of just the zest.