2011 March 10 | dinner with Julie

Archive for March 10th, 2011

Crumpets with Marmalade and The Queen of Hearts!

Remember that book I’ve been working on with Pierre? Well…… drumroll please…..

We’re still working on it.

But since I’m here at the coffee shop with Pierre and we’re both working madly on it, I thought I’d put up a little teaser. Just as a reminder, and because Pierre’s illustrations are so awesome, aren’t they??

We’re trying to get in with Chronicle Books, but our submission is likely somewhere in the slushpile of the thousand or so submissions they receive EVERY MONTH. Sigh. Anyone work there? Anyone? Bueller?

Pierre will likely throttle me if I give up our crumpet recipe. Remember that time he made them for me? But maybe he won’t mind so much if I provide a marmalade recipe, since it is the dead of winter and citrus is where it’s at. And if you’re one to pad around the kitchen on a chilly late winter weekend (had enough of them yet?) a pot of homemade marmalade is probably right up your alley.

Plain Old Orange Marmalade

This recipe would work as well with blood oranges, Seville oranges or really any variety you want to turn into jam – or try pink grapefruit. You simmer the seeds along with the marmalade because they naturally contain pectin.

4 large thin-skinned oranges
5 cups water
pinch salt
4 cups sugar

Cut the oranges in half and poke the seeds out; put them into a tea ball if you have one, otherwise wrap them in cheesecloth. Slice the oranges thinly and then chop them crosswise as big or small as you like. Put them (and the tea ball) into a pot with the water and salt and bring to a boil; simmer for half an hour. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a few hours or overnight.

Stir in the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for about half an hour, or until the mixture gels; you can test it by dropping a small spoonful onto a saucer that you get nice and cold in the freezer while the marmalade simmers. When the marmalade is the consistency you like remove it from the heat, pull out the tea ball of orange seeds and divide into clean, warm jars and seal or cool completely and store in the fridge or freeze.

Makes about 4 cups.