Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Marmalade (for the fridge/freezer)

I have two confessions to make.

One: I'm a hoarder. Of blood oranges. I can't go to the grocery store without purchasing another bag of these two-toned delights. Currently, I count 2.5 bags in my apartment, giving come-hither looks at me every time I walk by.

Two:  I am diagnosing myself with the inability to prevent myself from purchasing jams/preserves/marmalades.  It's bad. You don't even want to know how many different jars of these beauties are in various fridges and cabinets. In two cities. (oops...)

When you get to the heart of the these two issues, though, it really isn't all that bad.

Blood oranges are gorgeous to look at, messy to play with (just ask anyone who has sliced or juiced them), and delightful to eat in any form.  Sometimes called moros, blood oranges have an orange rind that often--but not always--displays a crimson blush that hints at the deep red flesh inside.  In comparison to your standard navel orange, blood oranges are slightly less sweet (though not bitter) and have a more complex flavor.  Okay, "complex" isn't exactly the best descriptive term to share the rich, juicy, less sweet, slightly tangy, indisputably citrusy flavor that is a blood orange, but it is probably the word you'll most often see paired with the fruit.  Since they are only available during the peak citrus season of winter months, I become an obsessive collector of blood oranges.  I love them plain/raw, I love cooking them, I love mixing them into fruit salads, I love using their juice in drinks...but the best way I've found to keep their wonderful, complex (yes, I said it!) flavor in my reach year-round is to make them into a marmalade.

Which brings us to my other obsession, jams/preserves/marmalades. It's not that eat a lot of jam. I don't have toast and jam all that often.  I very infrequently pack PB+J's for lunch (usually when I'm out of other options).  Only occasionally do I use jams in baking, for a glaze or something.  So my obsessive collecting of jams is caused by something else entirely; I have to try the flavor. I can't resist jams with delectable names like Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam or Orange Cranberry Marmalade or Mimosa Jam.  Pumpkin butter or pear butter is in my hands before you could even blink (I had a huge apple butter stage in college, but seemed to have moved on to other fruit butters).  Unusual combinations of flavors sing their siren song, from raspberry - rhubarb preserves to grape jelly made from wine grapes. And I'm a total sucker for a beautifully written description, like Sassy Radish's Peach Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla.

So when I saw my two obsessions come together in a single recipe?  I had to make it.

And I have made it twice in less than a month. Because I have that many blood oranges and I want to enjoy them well into summer and fall.


Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Adapted from Sassy Radish 

Don't be intimidated!!! This is a recipe where you make the marmalade, but you do not have to go through the canning process. Instead, put the marmalade into a jar (or even an airtight plastic container!) and keep it in the freezer indefinitely. When you open a jar, keep it in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients:
6 small-to-medium blood oranges
4 small-to-medium Meyer lemons
2.5 cups turbinado or demerara/raw sugar

Preparation:
Put a few small plates or bowls in the freezer.

Wash blood oranges and Meyer lemons thoroughly before slicing. You're going to be eating the rinds, so make sure they're clean!

Cut off and discard the ends of the blood oranges and Meyer lemons (the green or black or white points where the citrus was connected to the tree and the point opposite that).  Cut each citrus in half lengthwise, then slice the half into approximately 1/8th-inch pieces (they look like half-moons).  Remove any seeds and any pieces of exposed membrane (the white pieces you often find connecting the segments at the ends).

Blood orange slices - gorgeous!

Measure your sliced citrus. You should have about 2.5 cups.  Put them in a large heavy-bottomed pot.  Add an equal amount of water.  So if you had only 2 cups of citrus, add 2 cups of water. You get the idea.

Slices of blood orange and Meyer lemon, waiting in the pot

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil for 20-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  Boil until the citrus peels are very soft and can conform itself to your stirring utensil.

Fully cooked citrus peels

Once the citrus peels are fully cooked, add the sugar to the pot and stir to evenly distribute.  Turn the heat up to high and return to a boil.  Once you reach a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer for another 30 minutes, until the marmalade is done.  To test for doneness, put a small dab of marmalade on one of your pre-frozen plates. Pop it back in the freezer for 20 seconds, then take it out and tilt the plate. If the dab runs easily across the plate, like water or liquid soap, keep simmering the marmalade.  If the dab moves slowly across the plate, like cold molasses or honey, the marmalade is done.  If you have a candy thermometer, your desired temperature is 222 degrees Farenheit.

Turn off the heat and let the marmalade cool in the pot for at bit. Ladle the marmalade into clean jars, being very careful not to burn your hands with the marmalade or with the glass jars--they will become very hot! Allow the jars to cool to room temperature on the counter before storing in the freezer (long-term) or refrigerator (immediate use).

Finished marmalade, cooling on the countertop

Notes:
This recipe is fairly forgiving. For my first batch, I accidentally added the sugar before boiling the citrus peels.  I just continued to boil, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade was done according the pre-frozen plate test.  Keep the the amounts of each ingredient equal, and all will be good.

One recipe yielded 2-3 glass jars (half-pint sized).

Your kitchen will be filled with the most wonderful aroma of citrus.

My favorite way to enjoy this marmalade?  On a scoop of plain Greek yogurt, sprinkled with walnuts.  I also hear it makes a delicious tea if you put a teaspoon or two in the bottom of a mug and add hot water. I bet it is even good with ice cream or on top of a polenta cake.