Grapefruit Marmalade No Pectin Recipe 455

SMALL-BATCH GRAPEFRUIT JAM

Steps:

• Place a saucer in your freezer for the wrinkle test, before you begin.
• Prepare the grapefruit: Cut off the top and bottom of a grapefruit and sit flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife and starting from the top, cut off the peel along the sides, working your way around until it is all removed. Turn grapefruit over and remove any remaining peel. You should not have any peel or pith left on the fruit.
• While holding the grapefruit over a large bowl, cut between the membranes of the fruit to remove a grapefruit slice. Continue to remove all the slices and give it a gentle squeeze to remove a bit of the juice. Repeat with all the grapefruits.
• Cook the jam: Add the grapefruit and juice to a large, non-reactive, heavy bottomed pot. Add the sugar and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, over high heat, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture reaches a steady rolling boil, allow to continue boiling, testing regularly with the "wrinkle test", until it's set. It will take about 10-15 minutes. You can also monitor using a thermometer. The jam will set somewhere around 220° F., but the exact temperature will vary a bit, depending on your altitude, so verify setting with the wrinkle test.
• Ladle jam into small jars. Cover and refrigerate to use in the short term. Jam will keep several months in the fridge. (*As it is not properly "canned", do not store at room temperature).

GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE NO PECTIN RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• 1.Wash and dry the grapefruits. Use a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove the brightly colored zest - and only the brightly colored zest - from the grapefruit. Be sure to leave behind any and all of the white pith directly underneath, it is very bitter. Chop the resulting zest - bigger pieces for chunkier marmalade, ribbon-like strips for a more spreadable result. Set zest aside. 2.Cut the ends off the zested grapefruits and then, working with one fruit at a time, cut off the thick white pith from around each grapefruit. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, hold a fully peeled grapefruit and use a sharp knife to cut out each section from the membrane holding the sections together. See How to Section Citrus for pictures if you've never done this before. 3.Squeeze any juice out of the membrane once you've cut out all the fruit. Set the membrane aside, along with any seeds - the pectin in these will help "set" the marmalade later. 4.Combine the zest, fruit, juice, 4 cups of water, and sugar in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. 5.Meanwhile, lay a double layer of cheesecloth in a medium bowl and put membranes and seeds in the bowl. Lift up the corners and tie the cheesecloth into a bag to hold the membranes and seeds. Add this "pectin bag" to the pot. 6.While the mixture comes to a boil, put a canning kettle full of water on to boil if you're planning to can the marmalade. In any case, put a few small plates in the freezer to chill them. When canning kettle water boils, use it to sterilize the jars and lids. 7.Bring marmalade to 220°F and hold it there for 5 minutes. Be patient, this can take quite awhile. Put a dollop of the mixture on a chilled plate, swirl the plate to spread the mixture a bit, and drag your finger through the mixture. A "set" mixture will hold a clean track behind your finger. 8.Remove "pectin bag", squeezing any marmalade in it out and back into the pot before discarding the bag. Take marmalade off the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Set up clean jars next to the pot. 9.Stir marmalade to distribute the zest evenly in the mixture. Use a ladle to transfer the marmalade into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Put lids on the jars. 10.If you're canning the marmalade, put the jars in the canning kettle and boil for 10 minutes. In any case, let jars cool to room temperature before putting in a cool dry cupboard (if you've hot water processed them) or the fridge (if you didn't hot water process). Marmalade will keep a really long time. It is all sugar. Opened marmalade needs to be in the fridge, but unless you use a dirty spoon in the jar, it seems to last for approximately forever, although officially people say 6 to 12 months.

GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE

Steps:

• Inspect two 5-ounce jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse in simmering water until marmalade is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• Thoroughly wash and dry the grapefruits. Run a zester around 2 grapefruits to produce ribbons of zest. Set aside. Cut away thin strips of peel from the other two grapefruits with a sharp paring knife.
• Peel off all remaining outer white parts of the fruit and discard. Cut the grapefruits into wheels. Remove any seeds.
• Put grapefruit wheels and zest strips into a non-reactive saucepan. Add sugar and stir well to cover fruit. Heat over medium-high heat until bubbling, mixing constantly. Smash the heated fruit until it liquefies. Reduce heat to low and cook over a steady boil, stirring often. Remove and discard any persistent white froth that won't disappear after being stirred. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes until marmalade begins to coat the back of a spoon.
• Add zest ribbons and cook for 5 minutes more. Place a small amount of marmalade on a plate and put it in the freezer. Test the consistency after 3 minutes.
• Remove the marmalade from the heat when the freezer sample meets your desired consistency.
• Pack grapefruit jam into hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top with lids and screw rings on tightly.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars 2 inches apart into the boiling water using a holder. Pour in more boiling water to cover jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and let rest, several inches apart, for 24 hours. Press the center of each lid with a finger to ensure the lid does not move up or down. Remove the rings for storage and store in a cool, dark area.

GRAPEFRUIT-AND-MEYER-LEMON MARMALADE

Steps:

• Remove the grapefruit skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut the peel into 1/8-inch slivers; stop when you have 3/4 cup. Discard the rest. Slice off the ends of the grapefruit and the remaining grapefruit peel and pith. Remove grapefruit segments, reserving membrane. Stop when you have 5 cups of segments.
• Cut the ends off the Meyer lemons, deep enough so you can see the flesh. Leaving the peel on, remove the segments of lemon and reserve the membrane. Cut the segments crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Put membranes from the grapefruit and Meyer lemons in a jelly bag and tie closed.
• In a wide and deep pot, combine the grapefruit segments, grapefruit peel, lemon pieces and jelly bag. Add lemon juice and 2 1/2 cups water. Simmer until the grapefruit peel is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Working over a bowl in your sink, squeeze the liquid from the jelly bag; keep squeezing and wringing it out until you extract 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pectin. Add pectin and sugar to the pot. Place over high heat and boil, stirring now and then, until marmalade is between 222 and 225 degrees and passes the plate test. (Spoon a little onto a plate and put in the fridge for 3 minutes. If it thickens like jam, it is done.)
• Meanwhile, put 6 sterilized 8-ounce canning jars and lids on a baking sheet and place in the oven. When jam is done, remove jars from the oven. Ladle jam into the jars, filling them as high as possible. Wipe the rims. Fasten the lid tightly. Let cool. If you don't get a vacuum seal, refrigerate the jam.

CITRUS MARMALADE

Steps:

• Cut the citrus: Using a sharp knife, slice off the top and bottom of the citrus so it sits sturdily on the cutting board. Slice off the peel and white pith in sections, starting at the top and following the curve of the fruit. (You should have a pile of peels and a few naked fruit.)
• Thinly slice the peels (with the pith) no thinner than 1/8 inch and no thicker than 1/4 inch, place them in a large bowl and set aside.
• Halve the fruit and remove any visible seeds. Thinly slice about 1/4-inch thick (white membrane and all), removing any seeds you might have missed. Add the fruit to the peels, and cover with 3 to 5 cups of water, taking note of how much water you used. Let this sit for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (This will help extract the pectin slowly as well as soften the peels.)
• Make the marmalade: Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill. (You'll use this later.)
• Place the peels, fruit and water in a large pot. Add enough water to bring the total to 6 cups and bring to a strong simmer over medium-high heat.
• Cook the citrus until the peels have begun to soften and turn translucent, and the liquid has reduced by about three-fourths, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Add sugar and any add-ins and continue to cook, stirring occasionally at first, then more frequently as the marmalade cooks and the juices thicken. Continue until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peels are totally softened and almost completely translucent, another 40 to 50 minutes.
• As the marmalade cooks, the liquid reduces, the sugars thicken and the natural pectins activate. You'll notice the liquid go from a rapid, rolling boil with smaller bubbles to a slow, thick, tarlike boil with larger bubbles: This is the stage at which it's most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking. (Sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate at the bottom of the pot, making the fruit more likely to burn.) It's also the stage at which splattering may occur, so take care in stirring.
• When the marmalade reaches this point, add lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam has returned to its previously thickened state, about another 5 minutes. At this stage, the mixture should look thick and viscous with bits of the peel floating around. The peels will never break into the liquid as with a jam: This is O.K.
• To test the jam's thickness, spoon a bit onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: It should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it's not there yet, cook it for a few more minutes.
• Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean, if used. Divide among jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top, and seal immediately. Can the marmalade (our How to Make Jam guide has detailed instruction), or store in the refrigerator.