Three-Citrus Marmalade

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Marmalade making is an elastic concept. I needed to add a couple of extra oranges and lemons for the 5 cups required, but I ended up with an extra jar of Eugenia Bone's gorgeous jam to use in savory recipes such as the shrimp saute that follows.

• 1 grapefruit (red preferred)
• 3 oranges (blood and honeybell preferred)
• 3 Meyer lemons
• 5 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter

With a knife, score the fruit stem to blossom end and, sliding thumb under tip, pull off rind quarters. Cut most of the white pith off the peels of 1 orange and 2 lemons. Pick off most of the pith on the peeled fruits. It's OK if you don't get all the pith off the fruit and the rind. Cut the reserved rinds into matchsticks. You should have about 1 cup.

Cut the fruit in half along the equator and pop the seeds out with the tip of a paring knife. Grind the fruit in a food processor to a chunky pulp. There should be about 5 cups. But measure the pulp you have, as pieces of fruit produce varying amounts of pulp, and you will have to adjust the sugar accordingly: 1 cup of sugar for every 1 cup of pulp.

In a medium pot, cover the slivered rinds with 3 cups of water. Cook over medium heat until rinds are tender, about 25 minutes. Do not drain. Cool, then add the pulp and let it rest for 2 hours, covered, in the fridge.

Transfer the pulp, the rinds and their cooking water to a large, wide, heavy pot. Add the sugar and the butter. (The butter helps to keep the marmalade from foaming up, although it will still foam up some.) The marmalade will thicken more quickly in a wide pot than a deep one. Cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Skim off the foam as it builds up. The temperature must reach 220 degrees to jell. If you have a candy thermometer, stick it in the hot marmalade and rest it against the side of the pot. Place the lid on the pot to hold the thermometer in place. It will take seconds to get a reading. This is a loose marmalade, but if it comes out stiff, don't worry. Just warm it before using it in the recipes.

Makes 4 cups.

-- "Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods" by Eugenia Bone (Clarkson Potter, 2009)

Shrimp with Three-Citrus Marmalade and Lime

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The author suggests setting up the marmalade and lime and lemon juice marinade in the morning so the shrimp are ready to go for dinner. "You can also do a fast 30-minute marinade. The tart flavors won't be so pronounced, but the flavor will still be yummy."

• 3 tablespoons Three-Citrus Marmalade (see left)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced cilantro

Combine the marmalade, lime juice, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper to taste in a large nonreactive bowl and stir to dissolve the marmalade. Add the shrimp and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Using tongs, drop the shrimp into the skillet. There will be some marinade left at the bottom of the bowl -- reserve it. Cook the shrimp until they turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Arrange the shrimp on a platter. Add the remaining marinade to the skillet and heat it until it is bubbling, about a minute. Pour the hot sauce over the shrimp and garnish with the cilantro.

Serves 4.

-- "Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods"

Maximum Marmalade: Blood Orange/Red Grapefruit with Bitters

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This tawny red marmalade -- blood orange peel boiled in grapefruit juice with a spoonful of bitters -- has an adult edge akin to Scottish marmalade made from Spanish Seville bitter oranges.

• 1 1/2 pounds blood oranges (or Seville oranges or wild sour oranges if you can get them), scrubbed
• 6 cups pure cane sugar
• 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) freshly squeezed or not-from-concentrate packaged red grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon Peychaud's Bitters or citrusy bitters of your choice

Place a dinner plate in the freezer. Put oranges in a large pot with 1 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer and cook an hour and a half. Oranges will be tender and easily pierced. Pour off water and cool oranges. Cut oranges in half and remove seeds. Using a very sharp knife, cut the halves in half again and slice peel and pulp together into thin strips. Don't be alarmed if fruit seems mushy. It will regain its "chew" upon boiling with sugar. Into a 6- to 8-quart pot put the orange strips, grapefruit juice and sugar. Bring to a roiling boil over high heat, then reduce the heat some but keep contents boiling steadily. Stir in bitters. Skim. After 20 minutes deposit a half-teaspoon onto the chilled plate and return it to the freezer. In a minute, prod with a finger to see if marmalade has started jelling. If not, repeat every 10 minutes.

Skim and fill each jar to within 1/2 inch of the top, then seal with the screw-on lids. Cool, then refrigerate. Let mellow for at least two weeks before broaching.

Makes a little over 4 cups.

-- Adapted from "Mouth Wide Open: A Cook and His Appetite" by John Thorne with Matt Lewis Thorne (North Point, 2007)

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

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Meyers lemons, a cross between orange and lemon, are sweeter, more floral. Their tender peel requires no pre-boil but does need a day's soak. You'll use about 6 lemons. Scrub, trim ends, and quarter one lemon (2 if small) and very thinly slice for 2/3 cup rind/pulp. Squeeze more lemons for 3/4 cup juice and add 3/4 cup water. Refrigerate overnight. Add 2 1/4 cups sugar. Boil 15 minutes and test for set.

Makes about 2 cups.

-- Adapted from "Mouth Wide Open: A Cook and His Appetite" by John Thorne with Matt Lewis Thorne (North Point, 2007)

Key Lime Marmalade

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The small mesh bags contain just over a pound. Select 6 of the prettiest. Scrub, halve from stem to blossom end, slice very thinly, cut side facing down, for 2/3 cup rind/pulp. Discard tiny seeds. Juice the remaining limes for 1/2 cup. Add 1 cup water. Combine and refrigerate overnight. Boil, partially covered, for 20 minutes. The pulp juice should measure about 2 cups. Measure and add an equal measure of sugar. Boil 15 minutes and test.

Makes about 2 cups.

-- Adapted from "Mouth Wide Open: A Cook and His Appetite" by John Thorne with Matt Lewis Thorne (North Point, 2007)

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