Smelling like Scheherezade’s garden
If you have ever thought of making your own marmalade now is the time to try it. A bit longwinded but very easy to do and you don’t need any pectin to set this one as it uses the pips in the citrus to do that. The result is the most delicious thing you will eat in a long time, fragrant with the rose petals of a Middle Eastern garden, crunchy with toasted almond slivers and the tangy sweet slightly bitter flavour of citrus to support it all. This is literally from Greg’s table—Greg Malouf—but we made it and it works—marvellously!
Citrus soaking
Slivered almonds
Rosewater
INGREDIENTS
2 Oranges
1 Lemon
4 1/2 cups Water
800 gms Sugar
20 mls Rosewater
30 gms Flaked almonds toasted in dry pan
The finished product
All done
METHOD
Slice oranges and lemons very thinly reserving pips.
Place in 4 cups water in a large bowl. Place pips in a small bowl and cover with remaining water.
Leave to stand for 24 hours at room temperature.
Put the fruit and water in large sauce pan
Tie the pips in a small muslin bag and place them and their water with the fruit.
Bring the pot to a boil and then lower temperature to simmer for 2 hours covered.
Remove the bag of pips and add the sugar. Heat slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Bring back to boil squeezing the pips bag to remove as much pectin as possible. Stir well.
Boil briskly for about 20 -30 mins.
While this is happening, Place a saucer in the freezer.
Test to see if the marmalade has set by placing a small amount on the frozen saucer. Place in the fridge. If it gets a wrinkly skin when you run your finger along it it is done. Otherwise continue for 10 minutes.
When done remove pot from heat, skim off any froth on top, leave to settle for 10minutes then mix in rose water and almonds.
Leave to settle for 10 minutes more, skim off any froth and bottle in sterilised jars while hot
FROM SAHA- A CHEF’S JOURNEY THROUGH LEBANON AND SYRIA BY GREG AND LUCY MALOUF