Friday, April 12, 2013

Kumquat Marmalade

I made this Kumquat Marmalade almost two months ago, when they were in season. Kumquat is one of my favourite fruit, I love the tart and sweetness of these little fruits, as the whole fruit can be eaten, rind and all, minus the seeds. To make this marmalade, you've got to plan a day ahead, but it really is a simple process, the only thing that takes a bit of time, is the slicing of the fruits. 


Day 1


On Day One  (the night before) :
  1. Wash the kumquats thoroughly, remove stems. Slice the kumquats in thin rounds, (forgotten to take a photo of that!), remove the seeds using the tip of your knife, saving the seeds in a small bowl.
  2. The saved kumquat seeds, you are going to use it in the cooking process, as citrus seeds contains proto-pectin, which is required for gelling. The seeds are placed in a spice bag, here I have used a muslin cloth, which I have reserved for my jam making. Simply put all the seeds in the centre of a muslin cloth, making sure the cloth is big enough to gather round the edges and tie into a little pouch. 
  3. Put the sliced kumquats and the spice bag into a deep saucepan along with the water. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling, uncovered, for 15 minutes. 
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover with a cloth, and let the saucepan stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.


 Day 2, morning
The next morning, add sugar and lemon juice to the pan and place the pan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, raise the heat to medium-high, letting it come to a boil for 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat, cover with a cloth, and let it stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Note : The original recipe uses 4 cups of sugar, here I have used only 1 cup. Sugar acts as a primary thickener to jams and preserves. But I could not bring myself to use 4 cups of sugar! By using less sugar, I have to cook the marmalade a little longer until the setting stage. And also, I have added in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, even though the original recipe doesn't call for it.



 Day 2, at night, about 8-12 hours later
About 8-12 hours later, place the pan over medium-low heat, bringing the mixture to a slow boil. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to boil until setting stage, which takes me about 30 minutes. Stir once or twice at the beginning, and as it starts to thicken, stir constantly to avoid the bottom being burnt. I did not do any spoon test or jelly-thermometer reading (I don't have any!), just let it thicken to the consistency I want. I like my jam and marmalade to be a little on the runny side, as they will thicken further when placed in the fridge. Choose the method which best suits you. Once the marmalade are done, remove the pan from the heat, spoon off any foam that arises, lift out the spice bag, and press it with the back of a spoon to release all that delicious liquid. Let the marmalade stand for 5 minutes and then, spoon into sterilized jar. Seal and leave at room temperature until cool, store in the refrigerator.



400 gms of kumquat yields about 1-1/2 jars of 250ml, (of course, if you use more sugar, than you would have gotten more than this). Once the jars are cool, place them in the refrigerator.


The next morning, straight out from the refrigerator, the marmalade has further thicken slightly, not too thick, just the consistency I like! Yum!


Delicious Kumquat Marmalade. Spread it on bread, on toast, or even on pancakes and scones!

I'm sharing this with :


Kumquat Marmalade
(adapted from "The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves", Linda Ziedrich, with some changes)
420gm stemmed kumquats
4 cups water
1 cups sugar (original recipe uses 4 cups)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (my addition)

  1. Slice the kumquats crosswise into thin rings, removing the seeds with the tip of your knife. Put the seeds into a spice bag, put the bag and the kumquats into a saucepan, and add the water. Bring the contents to a boil, and boil them, uncovered, for 15 minutes, skimming off the foam. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a cloth, and let the pan stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
  2. Add the sugar to the pan and place the pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, and then raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a cloth, and let it stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
  3. Bring the kumquat mixture slowly to a boil. Raise the heat to medium-high and boil the mixture until it passes the spoon test or a jelly thermometer reads 220F.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off the foam. Press the spice bag against the side of the pan, and remove the bag. Let the marmalade cool for 5 minutes, and then ladle it into pint or half-pint mason jars. Add lids and rings, and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

kitchen flavour's notes :
How I sterilize the jars :
About 40-45 minutes before bottling the marmalade (before you start to cook the marmalade) :
~ wash the jars and the caps clean, shake off excess water.
~ place jars on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, with the caps by the side of the jar. Place cookie sheet in the centre rack of oven , turn oven on to a low temperature of 110F for 30 minutes. Turn off oven and leave jars in oven until needed. 
~ make sure the jars are warm when ladling the hot jam into it, cool jars might crack if there's sudden change in temperature.

#33/100

23 comments:

  1. Hi Joyce
    Mel, the kumquat lover is here visiting your blog. I am drooling looking at your 5th pic where you scoop a spoonful of the marmalade. The jam taste abosolutely heavenly in toast. Those who have not tasted kumquat is missing something in life....hehehehehe...right? And thanks for showing the tutorial how to make jam especially saving the seeds and adding into the cooking process. I do that next round of making this. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  2. Yum, this sounds so good! I am not a fan of marmalade but I could eat this one!

    Ciao
    Alessandra

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  3. Luce deliciosa y hermosa esta mermelada no conocĂ­a el fruto,abrazos y abrazos.

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  4. Haha Joyce! You and Mel are good friends now!

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  5. Wah Joyce, your marmalade looks good. But sounds quite tedious hor.

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  6. This marmalade looks delicious! I was just thinking of Mel and her many kumquat recipes when I saw this :)

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  7. Joyce, at first I thought you set aside the seeds for planting :) I have seen kumquats at Tesco earlier on but somehow I did not but any. Must buy and taste next time. As expected, Mel came over straight away :)

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  8. I just love kumquat marmalade. My kumquat are still green they won't ripen until winter. I can't wait to make marmalade. I had never thought to reduce the sugar because I thought it wouldn't work. Thank you now I know it works!

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  9. Baby Sumo and Joyce,
    Sounds like a wonderful '1st Time Meeting Up' gift from Joyce!

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  10. 4 cups ? Yikes ! Your marmalade turns out gorgeous - great move on reducing that sugar :D

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  11. i nvr had kamquat jams before..only eat them straight like that. I hope i can make some jams ..cos i never attempted one..infact eating more jams now than butter on my bread..cutting down on butter :D

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  12. Love to start my day with this beautiful marmalade with some bread slices.

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  13. Tasty looking marmalade! Pretty color, too!

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  14. Thank you for linking w/ See Ya in the Gumbo. Kumquats are grown all over around here. Marmalade is a great idea.

    I never knew that about citrus seeds! I always learn something here.

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  15. I am always so impressed with homemade preserves! If I could find kumquat I would make this recipe too.

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  16. Joyce, Your kumquat marmalade look so good!!
    The way of cooking this jam is slight similar to orange marmalade.
    Your last picture the piece of bread with your lovely kumquat marmalade look so inviting ..:D
    One bite please..:p
    mui

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  17. Wow! How I wish I am as adventurous when it comes to cooking! This looks really nice and the kumquat are nice !

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  18. Your kumquat marmalade looks awesome, I made some last year and still using it...
    Have a wonderful weekend Joyce :)

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  19. This looks amazing! I am pinning it to make very soon! Thank you dear!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Joyce, ur kumquat mamalade look yummy..

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  20. i keep seeing kumquats but I never know what to do with them! this is such a great idea!

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  21. Hi Joy,
    Your Kumquat Marmalade is outstanding and I sure hope to make this recipe. Thank you very much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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  22. Congratulations!
    Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Enjoy your new Red Plate and have a great weekend!
    Miz Helen

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