January 4, 2010

Clementine-Brandy Marmalade

It's Clementine season!  A cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin, many people refer to them as tangerines but they are a different variety, entirely.  With a thin, tender skin, these almost-seedless beauties are a delight to peel and eat.  Don't pass these up at the store - the season is almost over!
I wanted to do something with these other than just peel and eat them (although I've done my share of that, too!) and found a recipe for Clementine-Brandy Marmalade.  Marmalade may be an acquired taste and as a child, I remember disliking it.  Orange marmalade seemed to have a bitter taste and I didn't like the texture of the peels.  Maybe I was too used to eating grape jelly - a staple in the 50's for making PB&J's.
This recipe uses about 10 Clementines, which made three, eight-ounce jars.  First step is peeling them and removing the white pith.  I used a carrot peeler and it did a pretty good job of getting only the outer layer of skin.
The peels are sliced into thin strips then placed in water and boiled gently for about 30 minutes, then drained.
The next step is rather labor-intensive.  The Clementine segments are separated all the white membranes must be removed.  By the time I peeled these, separated them and removed the membrane, I was done for the day!
I put the boiled and drained peel and the prepared fruit into plastic bags overnight.  The next day I cut up the fruit, added it to a pan with sugar, lemon juice, water, brandy, and the cooked peel.  This mixture was boiled until it reached a temperature of 220F, which took 35-40 minutes.
All that was left to do then was to fill the jars and process in a water bath.  This stuff is candy in a jar!  It's sweet and sticky with none of the bitterness I remembered marmalade having when I was young(er).  It's great on toast and I think it would be a wonderful glaze for chicken or pork, too.

Because this was a fair amount of work, I was tempted to rename it "Once in a Lifetime Marmalade", but I'll definitely make this again.  Next time I'll double the recipe and use four-ounce jars... perfect for gift-giving!

I found this recipe here, but you can PRINT RECIPE HERE.

23 comments:

  1. I love orange marmalade. So, I'm sure I'll love this too.
    And your jars are so pretty!!

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  2. Karen, this sounds super delicious! I'll be giving this a try. I love clementines. Happy New Year.

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  3. This sounds super tasty. I love homemade jams, marmalades. I only wish I could make them. I intend on it every year, then I never do. I love how your jars look, they are absolutely lovely. Yes, it would be a most perfect gift!

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  4. This sounds fantastic! I didn't know the difference. Thank you for the info.

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  5. Wow, you were one busy lady, but look at that marmalade! It's just gorgeous, Karen! I can imagine it also on homemade rolls or biscuits-YUM!

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  6. Wow, so much work with the peeling but I'm sure the result was worth it! The marmalade sounds absolutely fantastic with brandy!

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  7. Oh I like the sound of that. Get me a little clotted cream and some scones! Ok, a lot of clotted cream. ;)

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  8. That sounds scrumptious, Karen! I've always rather enjoyed marmalade, even when I was a kid, and the addition of brandy... well, I want some NOW! :-)

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  9. I love marmalade... been using it as a base for a wet rub when i want a sweet BBQ. This sounds amazing... but removing all the membrane must have taken forever

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  10. Hot dang Karen, that looks fabulous! You've captured the images perfectly.

    We love Clementines, I know this would be a hit here as well. Darling labels, too! :)

    xo

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  11. This sounds intense but also super impressive! I can't believe all of the peeling you went through. But the end result looks and sounds amazing. I love those adorable labels you put on the jars!

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  12. Ohh this sounds so good Karen. Clementines usually don't last around here long enough for me to make jams with though lol. I love the addition of the brandy to this marmelade. Yum!

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  13. I always loved marmalade and clementines are some of my very favorite winter fruit. I might have to get my kitchen back on again before attempting this one but maybe next year. until then I'll just drink the brandy heehee

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  14. I didn't really care for marmalade that much either until I got a little older. I love how you did this over two days. Now that's my type of cooking when something takes this much effort. LOL. If you say even with all the work you would do it again, it must be worth trying.

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  15. I'm guessing this was well worth your time and effort. It sounds delicious and I love your labels!

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  16. hi karen! i'm so glad i stumbled onto your blog, your marmalade looks delicious! can't wait to try it, but i have a question: how much of that brandy cooks off, would you recommend giving it to kids? and a suggestion, if i may: why not just cut the segments out of their skins instead of peeling; once you have the zest, just cut the pith with a parer all around and then cut each segment in between the peels. i admit it may be a bit wasteful, but since it's a small quantity...it would save a lot of time!
    happy cooking in 2010!

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  17. Color me impressed. I actually do love orange marmalade - the bitter and all. The clementine-brandy marmalade could be a grand sauce for chicken....

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  18. hi karen, i don't know if you've ever seen this blog, so here's a nice depiction of supreming citrus: http://veganyumyum.com/2007/01/making-pretty-orange-segments/. thanks for following, as you can see i'm brand new to this, and it means a lot! dana

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  19. Oh my, the marmalade looks so wonderful. Seriously, it looks just like candy that can be spread on almost anything. Just beautiful!!!

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  20. I love citrus fruits so probably I am going to love this one! So pretty the photos by the way!

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  21. That looked so labor intensive Karen, but worth it I am sure. The labels on your jars are so nice. You have won the Julia Child book, My Life in France. Email me at pennyklett@gmail.com with your address and I will get it to you. Thanks.

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  22. Wow what a big job but such a nice outcome! Love the jars, so cute. Happy New Year Karen.

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  23. Karen, I can't access your email account. Please email me at pennyklett@gmail.com with your address so I can send you your book.

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