Marmalade

Yesterday, I had an inspiration.

During the Chinese Lunar New Year season, I made a big batch of kumquat marmalade. Kumquat makes the most delicious marmalade - with a strong intense flavor and aroma plus it sets very well. The most tedious part about the cooking process is preparing the fruit as you have to remove all the seeds.

I thought to myself, what can I do with the last few jars? And here's my inspiration - kumquat muffins. This will be my next baking project, I'll let you know if I can come up with a good recipe. Meanwhile, here's my kumquat marmalade recipe..........believe me, its well worth the effort. I have many satisfied 'customers'. Many friends are amazed you can actually make jam just by boiling fruit. Well, here's the proof:

Kumquat Marmalade

Ingredients
1 kg kumquat
1 kg sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
500 ml hot water

Recipe makes 6 cups of marmalade so make sure you have enough clean, sterilised jars before you begin.

Method

1. Remove leaves and stems if any. Wash kumquat thoroughly and leave to soak in water for a while to ensure that the fruit is clean.



2. Cut the fruit in half and remove the seeds. Julienne the fruit. Retain as much of the juice with the pulp as possible.



3. In a deep saucepan, simmer water, fruit and lemon juice for about 45 minutes. Stir ocassionally.



4. Add sugar and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes. Stir the mixture gently but constantly to ensure that the bottom does not burn.



5. To check that the marmalade is ready, drop a teaspoonsful onto a dish and cool it in the freezer for a minute. If the mixture creases when you push it gently with your finger (ie not runny) it is ready. It will set when coool.



6. Remove marmalade from heat and allow bubbles to subside so that the fruit does not all rise to the top when stored.



7. Ladle hot marmalade into dry sterilised jars and seal immediately.



8. Leave to cool. Store in a cool dry place. Refrigerate jam after opening.