Lemon Marmalade

This is a great recipe for using up that big bowl of lemons that looks really pretty on your kitchen table for a week or so but then you need to find a use for all that fruit or its going to be wasted.  It makes a ton of marmalade, which also makes a lovely gift at this time of year, but goes really well in all kinds of other recipes too.  I'll have some more posts coming up that share how I have been using this golden stash recently.  It is ultra simple to make and uses just three ingredients!

Lemon Marmalade
1kg unwaxed lemons
2kg granulated sugar

Chill a saucer in the freezer, ready for checking the setting point of your jam.  Wash the lemons and remove the top 'button' which would have attached to the stalk.  Put the lemons in a large saucepan with 2.5 litres of water.  Bring to the boil, then cover the pan and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until the lemon skins are lovl and tender, and can be pierced easily with a fork.

When the lemons are cool enough to handle, remove from the saucepan.  Measure the cooking liquid that is left, you'll need 1.5 litres in total.  If you don't quite have enough, make up the difference with water.  If you have too much, bring the liquid to the boil and reduce to the required amount.

Halve the lemons and remove the pips - reserving the pips and any juices that escape.  Cut the lemon peel and flesh into strips, as thick or as thin as you like.  Put all of this, including any juices, back into the pan.  Put the pips in a small piece of muslin and tie up with string.  Add this to the pot, the pips will help with the setting process.

Add the sugar and bring to the boil, stirring until it has completely dissolved.  Boil rapidly for about 20 mins until the setting point is reached, determine this by either using a jam thermometer or by using the wrinkle test.  To wrinkle test, place a blob of jam on the cold saucer from the freezer, allow it to cool for one min and then push the edge of the jam gently.  If the surface wrinkles the jam is set, if not, pop the pot back on to boil for another 5 mins and then test again.

Leave to cool for 10 to 15 mins, this stops the lemon peel from sinking to the bottom of the jar.  Remove the muslin bag and gently stir the marmalade in one direction to disperse any scum that has formed.  Pour the jam into warm sterilised jars and seal straight away.

Makes 6 x 450ml jars
Taken from the Good Food Magazine, Feb 12