citrus jam (NOT marmalade)
Dear Reader, it is with great fanfare that I announce the beginning of a new year and (most importantly) the height of citrus season! Yes, you can get kind-of-good citrus all year round but it’s really hard to beat a peak-season orange or grapefruit right now. In fact, the citrus is so good, my roommate sheepishly asked where I procured the giant sumo oranges that are currently gracing our fruit bowl (I got them on freshdirect, no this isn’t an ad) and if she could get in on the next order. Although I recommend eating these peak-season citrus fruits raw and unadulterated, there’s something to be said for preserving their goodness in jam form. Now, to be clear, this is not marmalade. Marmalade is made by a painstaking process of soaking all the citrus peels for a day and a half and boiling the shit out of them until you get something mildly edible. I have done this and yes it’s very good, but just not quite worth the effort. This version is slightly fresher, less bitter, and a little tangy thanks to the wonder of sumac. You will need a scale for this, because the ratio of sugar to fruit is extremely important to making sure you get the right texture at the end, which I’ll walk you through.
citrus jam
A whole bunch of citrus! Four or five different kinds, however much you want! I used: 2 blood oranges, 1 grapefruit, 1 sumo citrus, and 1 large lemon, and ended up with a perfect 1 quart. Use a plurality of different citrus here to make something really complexly flavored, otherwise it’ll just taste like those weird orange candies you get at Target.
Sugar (you’ll measure this based on weight)
1 tsp ground sumac
Juice of 2 limes, plus more if you want, to taste
Zest all your citrus into a medium bowl and set aside. Peel all the fruits (this is like. way easier after they’ve been zested) and discard the peels (compost them if you want). No need to be extremely precious about getting every last bit of pith (the white stuff) off the citrus, it doesn’t really make that much of a difference. Set all the peeled fruit into a large bowl set on a scale and note how much it weighs.
Break the fruit apart into its segments. Taking one segment at a time, slice off the inner curve that holds the pulp inside its skin, and remove any seeds. This seems painstaking but any seeds left in this will make it extremely bitter. Slice each segment into a few pieces (little triangles) and set them back in the large bowl
In the bowl with the zest, measure out half as much sugar as there was citrus by weight. (if you had 1000g of citrus, you should measure out 500g of sugar). I used regular-ass granulated sugar, but you can use a mix of different sugars (like brown or turbinado) if you like a more caramelized flavor. With your hands, rub the zest into the sugar until the mixture looks fuzzy and like wet sand.
Add the sliced citrus and sugar along with 1 cup of water into a large pot over high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and wait for the mixture to come to a simmer, then reduce to low and let it hang out, stirring occasionally to make sure things aren’t scorching. Over the course of about an hour (depending on how powerful your range is) the bubbling will go from rapid and watery to slow and glassy.
When the bubbling starts to get more sluggish, take a small spoonful and spread it out on a small plate. Refrigerate for about a minute to check consistency. What you’re looking for is something that sets just enough that you can run your finger through it and it doesn’t fill back in. If it doesn’t do this the first few times, keep simmering it on low until it does.
Turn the heat off and add the sumac and lime juice. (Note: when you add the sumac it’ll darken in color. Don’t freak out). Taste it at this stage, and add more lime if you want things tangier. Transfer to a container (be careful. it’s hot as fuck.) and refrigerate overnight to let it set.
Eat with: a slice of really good toasted sourdough and salted butter, on ice cream, swirled into cake batters, or with a spoon. (A note: I don’t know anything about canning but this lasts for like. A really long time in your fridge. I’m not the CDC but upwards of a few months is usually still good lol).
Ta-ta for now,
Nicki (from my teeny tiny kitchen)