Marmalade de Pamplemousse Rouge

Well, here we are in marmalade season, again! We're back to work and busy with the little one, but managed to make this at the end of January. Despite there being no canjam this year, I'm making a personal goal of canning one local ingredient and making one specialty bread every month.We kept this one local by using Florida's Ruby Red Grapefruit; I named it so just because I love saying the word "pamplemousse". Honey and a hint of vanilla complement this bitter-sweet jam, and the set came out absolutely perfect! We are very happy with this marmalade and plan on using it on everything sweet to savory.

Marmalade de Pamplemousse Rouge :
6 Florida Ruby Red grapefruit
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 boxes fruit pectin

Pour boiling water over grapefruit and scrub with a vegetable brush to remove any remaining wax. Slice fruit in half and juice into bowl. Pour juice through a strainer into a medium cooking pot and press juices from pulp into pot. This should yield roughly six cups of juice. Begin heating juice on medium low. While juice is heating, cut peels in half and remove all traces of membrane with the back of a spoon.  Cut in half lengthwise and again width wise, and julienne finely until you have about two cups.  Add peels to juice and bring to boil on medium high, skimming acidic foam periodically with a ladle.  Cook until peels are translucent and tender, about  30 minutes. Add honey, vanilla and sugar and return to boil. Cook until sugar is fully dissolved.  Add 1 box of pectin slowly while boiling.  Check for set and slowly add additional pectin as needed and until marmalade is set.  Let rest for a few minutes, then ladle into hot jars and process for ten minutes.


 Orange-Almond Bread:
1 Cup sugar
5 Tbsp butter, room temperature
3/4 Cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 Clementines zest + juice
1 Cup a.p. flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
 1 slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar and butter. Stir in milk, egg, vanilla and orange juice and zest. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Combine wet and dry ingredients then stir in nuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes.