So about 2 months ago my sister reports that she has made meyer lemon marmalade from lemons produced by her very own meyer lemon tree in her back patio in sunny California. She also tells me it is the best marmalade she has ever had and I must try it. I fly out there and have some on Rosemary Currant bread (lightly toasted of course) from Julienne's in San Marino ... and I agree. It is the best lemon marmalade I have ever eaten.
So this weekend, after scraping the last drop from the jar she sent me home with, I decided to try my own hand at it. I had to buy my lemons of course, but I did happen to have cheesecloth on hand to wrap the extra pith and seeds in.
I also pulled out the thermometer to ensure the proper temperature to achieve the correct amount of "jelling" was reached. I am a little more of a rule follower than my sister who flies by the seat of her pants when it comes to creating culinary and artistic masterpieces.
No, I did not boil the jars and seal the lids and do all that "canning" stuff but I still feel quite accomplished. AND - it turned out perfectly. Just the right balance of sweet and tart with a consistency that is spreadable but not so firm as to disturb the bread as you spread it on.
Oh Mrs. Berg... you know that girl scout badge for cooking I didn't get in the 6th grade, is it too late for you to award it to me now?
yoo hoo sister!!!!! i'm all out of marmalade you ate it all when you came. that means you owe me a jar. send. send now.
Posted by: mary ann | 04/19/2011 at 08:34 AM
p.s. i do not fly by the seat of my pants i fly by the seat of my UNDERpants.
Posted by: mary ann | 04/19/2011 at 08:37 AM
with all of your cooking, photos, and tall tales you could give pioneer woman a run for her money.
you should post gavin's guinness photo on your page....i can include a dark chocolate guinness cupcake recipe with irish creme frosting to make it legit:)
Posted by: Krissy | 04/19/2011 at 08:52 PM
I think that Mary Ann should MAKE you a badge! Well done!
Posted by: Leslie J. Moran | 04/19/2011 at 10:06 PM
So, what temperature did you let it reach? I made two batches with Trader Joe's Meyer lemons, then tried regular lemons with a bit of orange for balance. Was not good, bitter. Meyer lemons make ALL the difference.
I rescued it by mixing it with purchased orange marmalade.
So glad you have appeared in the blogosphere. Now we hear your voice directly, not just in pithy quotes form Sister.
Posted by: susan w | 04/19/2011 at 10:32 PM
Hi Susan: my goal was for it to reach 212 degrees which I guess is "boiling". It was boiling like mad but only got up to about 208 degrees. I let it boil for probably 20 minutes and then turned it down to a simmer for 50 minutes. I used 3 regular lemons, 3 cups of water, and 1 and a half cups of sugar. Not bitter at all. Thanks for visiting! Carol
Posted by: Carol | 04/20/2011 at 08:54 AM