Pink Grapefruit and Pineapple Marmalade

Feb 10

Feb 10 Pink Grapefruit and Pineapple Marmalade - aka Anti-Winter Jam

One of my favourite things about Summer and early Autumn is turning the abundance of fruit into jars and jars of jam. I'm always a bit sad when the season ends, but then, just a few months later... Marmalade! I love marmalade. In fact, I'm the only one in my family who does, and I have to admit I eat it in huge, tooth-rotting quantities all winter long ON MY OWN. I'm also quite picky about it; I want a full flavour and lots of peel. Outside of the UK (which I called home for many years) it can be quite tricky to find "proper" marmalade - the kind that is not too sweet - and the imported stuff is becoming ever-more expensive. So this year I decided to make my own. But fancy, with pink grapefruit and fresh pineapple. If this doesn't chase away the Winter greys...

This marmalade is heavy on the fruit and light on the added sugar. I used Kylee Newton's excellent book, The Modern Preserver, to learn the basic techniques of jam and marmalade-making.

3 pink grapefruit

1 fresh pineapple

5dl water

300g jam sugar

Cut the peel from the grapefruit, reserving the flesh. Remove as much pith as possible from the peel, then slice into very thin strips. Chop the flesh into 1cm cubes, discarding any pips and pith.

Remove the skin and tough core from the pineapple and discard. Cut the flesh into 1cm cubes.

Put all the fruit and zest in a large with the water and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to add the jam sugar, stir until it has dissolved, then bring the mixture back to the boil. Boil steadily, stirring frequently for 20-30 minutes (or until the grapefruit peel has softened).

When ready*, pour into hot, sterilised jars and seal.

Will keep unopened at room temperature for up to six months, or a few weeks in the fridge once opened.

PLEASE NOTE:

This recipe makes the most of the natural sweetness of the pineapple, and doesn't use as much water or jam sugar as commercial recipes tend to. As a result, the water may separate and pool in the jar if stored for a while. This doesn't affect the flavour at all - just stir it back in before spreading.

*Newton recommends the wrinkle test to check whether a jam or marmalade has reaching its setting point. Place a couple of small dishes in the freezer before you start. When the mixture has come to a rolling boil for the required amount of time, take it off the heat and drip a little bit of it onto one of the dishes. Put in the fridge for a minute or so, then gently push the jam with your finger to see if it wrinkles. If it does, it's ready! If not, return the mixture to the boil and repeat the test after five minutes.