Marmalade (Recipe: beer marinade)

I didn't grow up in a marmalade house.

In fact, apart from JIF peanut butter and Smuckers grape jelly, I don't remember seeing any jams, jellies, preserves or marmalades in my mother's kitchen. Oh, I know that she had the occasional souvenir jar stashed in the back of the cupboard — a homemade treasure brought by a houseguest or friend who'd returned from a road trip to a part of the country where every family "puts things up", and recipes are prized. But I don't think we ever opened them.

My friends grew up in marmalade houses.

Barbara does a great lime preserve, and fig jam, and all sorts of things made from the dozens of varieties of berries she grows on her organic farm in southeastern Massachusetts. Mary makes quince jam from the fruits in her garden. Pauline creates amazing things with rhubarb, as does Lucia with blueberries picked on local Rhode Island farms. Wonderful and delicious, each and every one of these culinary treats.

And yet, surrounded by so much availability and generous friends, my own house still is not a marmalade house.

I always stock orange marmalade in my pantry, but I know so little about preserving fruit that I had to look up the definitions of jam, jelly, preserve, and marmalade. What's the difference? Aren't they all just sticky concoctions, made with fruit and some sort of goo to hold the fruit in suspension?

In part, the difference seems to be degree of density. According to The Food Lover's Companion, jelly is a clear, bright mixture made from fruit juice, sugar, and sometimes pectin; the texture is tender but will be firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of its container. Jam is a thicker mixture of fruit, sugar (and sometimes pectin) that is cooked until the pieces of fruit are very soft and an almost formless puree. Preserves, made from fruit cooked with sugar and pectin, differ from jam in that the chunks of fruit are medium to large, rather than the texture of thick puree.

Marmalade is a preserve containing pieces of fruit rind, especially citrus fruit. The original marmalades were made from quince — the Portuguese word marmelada means "quince jam." Now, however, Seville oranges are the most popular fruit for making marmalade, in part because of their high pectin content.

These days, you can purchase Keiller's Dundee marmalade, in its oh-so-recognizable white ceramic jar, in specialty stores and most larger supermarkets. Keiller's dates back to 1797, when a Spanish ship carrying Seville oranges took refuge in the harbor town of Dundee, Scotland. James Keiller, a local grocer, purchased the cargo; his wife Janet boiled the oranges with sugar to make a tart orange marmalade.

There's always a jar of Dundee marmalade in my refrigerator. Not only is it delicious to eat, but, melted down with a teaspoon of water and put through a sieve, it makes a perfect glaze for fruit tarts. As an ingredient, marmalade finds its way into cakes and more cakes, tarts and more tarts, terrines and tea and cookies to have with your tea. Occasionally, too, marmalade enriches the sauce for a savory dish.

BEER MARINADE
A pantry lover's delight! From the ever-practical Joy of Cooking, this simple marinade for beef or pork would be great with flank steak, cooked under the broiler. Try it on jumbo shrimp, too. Makes 1-2/3 cups, enough for 3 pounds of meat.

1-1/2 cups flat beer
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 Tbsp sugar or honey
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

Comments

[rupert]

Marmelade with butter on toast is, simply, lovely.

[Mimi]

Beer, mustard and marmalade on jumbo shrimp? Oh. My. Gosh.

ROTFSAO

(Rolling on the floor salivating all over)

Sorry, could not resist.

[Lydia]

Mimi, you make me giggle!

[Tom]

ROTFSAO is new to me! I love it!

I grew up with JIF peanut butter and Welch's grape jelly. On the rare occasion we might get strawberry jam, but we never had marmalade, least of all orange. Now orange marmalade is my favorite. I love the bitter orange peel and the obvious pectin flavor. My favorite brand is Bonne Maman. It comes in a clear jar with a gingham lid. I've seen the Dundee, but I don't trust a marmalade I can't see through the jar. I might have to give it a try though since you've recommended it here. Cook's Essentials sells another brand that I quite like, but it's 3 times the price.

[Mary]

Every summer, we're filthy rich with georgeous,unsprayed white peaches with slight skin belmishes. We give many away because they "come in" all at once and I often make brandied peaches, jam or chutney. This year, I mistakenly (hoping to make jam) made peach marmalade. The fruit is a bit leathery, but still tender and it is delicious ! I don't remember what I did - cook fruit first, with everything else, later...! Does anyone have a great recipe for peach marmalade ? I want to repeat this year's success !

and p.s. marmalade, orange juice and walnut or olive oil with a dash of bittersweet smoked paprika and/or mustard) is the standard glaze for everthing baked, grilled or broiled here -- fish, pork, chicken, tofu !

[Marcia]

Last week I had tea, scones, and marmalade with two women in their late 80's. One of them still makes marmalade. When I asked for instructions, she replied, "Just grind a bunch of oranges with a food grinder and then proceed." Now I have to figure out the 'proceed' part. She is also still quahogging, and had just returned from New Orleans where she helped with Katrina clean-up.
Do you think homemade orange marmalade has some endless energy properties?
I recently made these muffins for a local "Unity Breakfast". The recipe is from The Ultimate Muffin Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.

Spiced Cranberry Muffins

Non-stick spray or paper muffin cups
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow or white cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup whole cranberries, fresh or
frozen
1 TBS grated orange zest
1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk (whole, lo-fat, skim)
1/4 cup sour cream (ditto above)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange marmalade

1. Prehet oven to 400. Spray pans, or line with paper muffin cups.
2. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda,salt, and spices in a medium bowl until uniform. Set aside.
3. Place cranberries, orange zest, and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor fittd with the chopping blade or wide-canister blender. Process or blend for 10 second until the mixture resembles cornmeal - do not allow it to become a paste. Scrape the mix into a large bowl; stir in the egg, milk, sour cream, oil, and marmalade until uniform and smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until moistened.
4. Fill the prepared tins 3/4 full. Use additional greased tins or small, oven safe greased ramekins for any leftover batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until they have lightly browned, slightly rounded tops. A toothpick inserted in the center...you know the drill
5. Set the pan on wire rack to cool for ten minutes.
Eat!

[connie]

i have just begun to appreciate marmalade, so thank you for this wonderful ode to my new favorite and all of its endless possibilities

[Lydia]

Tom, I've never heard of the Bonne Maman marmalade. Where do you find it?

Mary, I love the taste of things glazed with marmalade and cooked on the grill. You are so lucky to have all of those peaches (which I can personally attest are delicious). Last summer I made some into a wonderful chutney.

Marcia, thanks a zillion for sharing the muffin recipe. Cranberries and orange are such a great combination. I will definitely be making these during the holidays!

Connie, welcome to The Perfect Pantry! Thanks for visiting.

[Pam]

I love the ingrediants for this recipe, it sounds like a keeper.

On another note, I have to say that the olive oil I ordered and very quickly received in a nice package, is a hit. I bought some great crusty Italian bread, good olives and cheeses, and my beau and I will be enjoying it soon (you know we already had some). Thanks so much for the invitation to such a nice company and the chance to taste some great tasting olive oils.

Happy Holiday's Lydia and Ted!

Pam

[Steve]

Was just looking at marmelade on a store shelf yesterday, thinking how long it had been since I had any. But that store had only orange. My favorites are grapefruit, or an orange-lime-grapefruit I had once; and ginger marmelade is a good bet, too.

[Lydia]

Steve, ginger marmalade sounds fantastic. Maybe in the grill glaze Mary mentioned, or on a pear tart...now I'll be thinking about that!