I never liked marmalade all that much. I remember my father preparing breakfast for me and my three sisters on a bright, late winter’s morning. He made himself a cup of coffee while he waited for the soft English muffins to pop out of the toaster. He lovingly spread orange marmalade on each side, put them on a plate and handed them to my sisters and me. “You have to try this! It’s delicious!” he said. His father was an English chef, so I suppose the love marmalade is natural. I had one bite and spit it out. I hated everything about it - the bitter sweetness, the chunky rinds, all of it.
Since citrus is so lovely this time of year, and really the only thing in season, I could only get so far without tackling a marmalade. I must admit, I was a little wary of getting back on that horse. I scoured recipes in all my cookbooks and the internet and I finally came across this lovely combination - meyer lemon and rose petals. The meyer lemons are sweeter than their cousins and the rose petals give this marmelade a lovely pink hue.
As I sat down to develop my own recipe, I remembered all the things I hated about traditional marmalade when I was a child. This time, I cut the rinds very thin into small strips. I also scrape off the pith from the rind to get rid of some of the bitterness. After all is said and done, I can say I have been converted. This lovely marmalade is fit for the Queen of England herself. Enjoy it on a sunny morning with a delicious blueberry scone and a cup of earl grey.
What You’ll Need:
- 2 lbs Meyer lemons
- 3 ½ cups cane sugar
- 1 ½ cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons dried rose petals
- Thoroughly wash each lemon. Using a sharp knife, cut off each end of the lemon. Gently cut along the rind from end to end, segmenting the rind in 4 or 5 pieces – do not cut all the way through, only cut through the rind. Peal the rind from the lemon and set the rinds aside. Cut the lemon in half then thinly slice, removing all seeds. Place the lemon slices in a large bowl. Place the seeds in a small bowl. Next, using a paring knife, gently scrape the pith from the rind and place in the small bowl with the seeds. Thinly slice the rind and place in the bowl with the lemon pieces. Pour the sugar over the lemon pieces and rinds. Stir until the lemons and rinds are evenly distributed and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Let the lemons and sugar sit, unrefrigerated, overnight.
- The next day, pour the reserved seeds and pith into a jelly bag or a few layers of cheesecloth. Tie into a pouch. Most of the pectin is in the seeds and pith, so we will cook the marmalade with the pith and seeds for the pectin. Place a small, ceramic or glass plate in the freezer – we will use this to test the set of our marmalade later. Next, pour the lemon and sugar mixture into a large saucepot. Pour in the lemon juice.
- Place the jelly bag into the saucepot and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for 35 minutes, making sure the pot does not overflow. After 20 minutes of simmering, add the rose petals.
- After 35 minutes, remove the plate from the freezer and drop a small amount of marmalade on the center of the plate. Place the plate back into the freezer. After 5 minutes, remove the plate and slide your finger along the drop of marmalade – if it is set, it should wrinkle gently.
- Pour your marmalade into sterilized jars and seal with sterilized lids and tops. Either process cans in a boiling bath for 10 minutes or use the flip method to seal your jars. Once the jars have sealed, you will hear a loud pop!
Enjoy with scones, crumpets or muffins.
