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