What’s cooking today: Orange whisky marmalade

A large bowl of oranges and two lemons makes about four jars of marmalade. A tot or three of Scotland’s finest adds a bit of oomph to your breakfast toast.

Ingredients

1.5 kg navel oranges

1.5 kg granulated sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

3 litres cold water

Muslin

String

5 Tbsp whisky

Method

Have a jug and a bowl to hand, the jug for the juice, the bowl for the pith and membranes.

Weigh the oranges. Cut each in half and squeeze the juice out into the jug.

Use a spoon to gouge out as much of the pith as possible from each orange half. Put this in the bowl with all the leftover membranes. 

Prepped: the first three elements in marmalade-making. The strips of peel are boiled with water and the juice, with the innards of the oranges contained in a muslin or fine net bag. No sugar is added at this stage. (Photo: Tony Jackman)

Slice the orange rind thinly into strips. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into the orange juice. Lay out the muslin and put the contents of the bowl at the centre. Gather it up into a “bag” and tie the top end very tightly with string. I’d double it up as you do NOT want the bag breaking when boiling.

You now have three elements: A container of orange (and lemon) juice, a pile of orange rind strips, and a muslin bag with its contents from inside the oranges.

The initial boiling of orange peels in water with a muslin or fine net bag containing the innards of the oranges. (Photo: Tony Jackman)

Put the muslin bag and the peels into a huge pot and fill with 3 litres cold water. (NB: Do not add sugar at this stage.) Add the juice. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Lower to a very gentle bubble and simmer for two hours.

Leave to cool until you can handle the muslin bag without scalding your hands. Squeeze out as much liquid, including the oozy whitish pectin, as possible from the bag into the same pot. Discard the bag.

Add the sugar, bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar, and boil briskly (on a very high heat) until it reaches setting point, which is 105℃. Or: If, like me, you don’t have a sugar thermometer, put a small plate in the freezer. Have a teaspoon to hand. After the first 15 minutes or so of boiling, get the plate out, put a teaspoonful of marmalade on it, and put it back in the freezer for two minutes. Take it out and tilt the plate to one side. If it flows, it’s not set. If it does not flow, turn off the heat immediately. If NOT set, rinse and dry the plate and return it to the freezer. Test every five minutes, until it’s set.

After you’ve made marmalade a few times, you’ll be able to gauge fairly well with your eye when it looks as if it is at setting point.

Once you’re satisfied that it’s set, turn off the heat immediately and stir in the whisky. After 10 minutes, spoon off any scum that’s risen to the top of the pot. Spoon the marmalade into hot, sterilised jars, up to the brim. Seal with sterilised lids. 

Tony Jackman

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-06-23-whats-cooking-today-orange-whisky-marmalade/