This morning I ate the last navel orange we had in the kitchen. It was delicious! There was a big pile of orange peel left over from peeling the orange, and as I looked at the pile of peel, I thought, why not make something out of it?
What does one make with orange peel? Marmalade, of course! I have never made marmalade before, but it seemed simple enough. I decided I would add some crushed strawberries to balance the bitterness of the orange peel. After browsing a few recipes for various types of marmalade, I guesstimated my own recipe, and cooked it up.
I used:
2/3 cup fresh, finely grated orange peel
1 - 1/2 cup water
2/3 cup crushed strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
I simmered the orange peel in the water for about 20 minutes to soften up the peel. Much of the water boiled away, which is what I wanted. I added the strawberries and the sugar to the pot and simmered for a few minutes longer. Usually, when making jelly or marmalade, at this point pectin would be added. I didn't have any pectin handy, except what was naturally in the fruit. I did add just a touch of corn starch to help thicken the sauce a bit. In the end, I didn't have a true jelly-like marmalade, but more of a very thick sauce.
My saucy marmalade came out wonderfully! I was quite pleasantly surprised. The taste of the orange peel is delicious and not overly strong, and the sweetness of the strawberries balances it nicely. I decided to make some simple thumbprint cookies and filled them with the marmalade, and that worked out quite well. I also tried spreading some of the marmalade on a warm crepe, and it was yummy.
I'm quite happy with my homemade marmalade experiment. I'm never throwing away my orange peels again!
No comments:
Post a Comment