Vanilla, Orange & Meyer Lemon Marmalade

I'm lucky enough to live on a property with two orange trees and at least six lemon trees, so I always have fresh citrus. However, at this time of year, we are overrun with oranges and lemons and it is a challenge to try to use them before they go moldy.

I was staring at the various bowls around the kitchen filled with citrus, when I remembered an article on Marmalade in Martha Stewart Living from a year ago. I dug up the issue and sure enough, there were quite a few recipes for marmalade. I'd never made marmalade before, mainly because I don't really like it, but I thought it might be a good way to process some of the citrus before it went bad.

I was surprised at how much I like the results. This marmalade was a lot different than the bitter stuff I recall my British grandparents having on their breakfast table. The vanilla bean and the three citrus fruits provide a complexity and depth of flavor that store bought marmalade can't match.

I altered Martha's recipe somewhat on purpose and somewhat on accident. I forgot about the soaking citrus in the fridge for a couple of days and then cooked them too long I think, but it still came out well. My parents just requested a second jar of it, they liked it so much.

Marmalade (adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients: 

3 pounds Oranges and Meyer Lemons, half cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, half cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped, pods reserved for another use*

2 lemons, thinly sliced, seeded, slices quartered

1 1/2 quarts cold water

Sugar

Directions:

Bring fruit, peels, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let cool. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to a couple of days).

Freeze a plate. Uncover citrus mixture, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until thickest peel is tender, about 20 minutes.

Measure mixture and return to pan. For each cup of mixture, add 3/4 cup sugar.

Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook until mixture registers 220 degrees to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. To test for doneness of marmalade: Drop a spoonful on frozen plate. If marmalade has a slight film when pushed with a finger, it's done. If it spreads out and thins immediately, continue cooking, and test again after a few minutes.

Transfer marmalade to jars, cover, and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight before serving. (Marmalade will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.)

* I use left over pods to make vanilla sugar: put several cups of sugar and the vanilla pods in a food processor and process until the pods are finely ground up. Sift into a bowl and discard the bits of pod. Store in a sealed container and use in coffee, desserts, or anything else you can dream up!