Margarita Marmalade
Excerpted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June 2013)Allison says, “With plenty of south-of-the-border flair, and a generous kick of tequila, this grown-up marmalade is just plain fun. Laced with orange peels and loaded with limes, it’s perfect on croissants or even mini cornbread loaves for a wedding shower brunch.”
Notes
TIP: Paring Peels
Unlike other citrus fruits, lime peels can be difficult to remove with your fingers. If you have trouble, carefully use a paring knife to slice the peel off.
Unlike other citrus fruits, lime peels can be difficult to remove with your fingers. If you have trouble, carefully use a paring knife to slice the peel off.
Servings 7 cups
Ingredients
- 12 medium-size limes divided
- 4 medium-size oranges
- 1½ cups water
- 3 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- ½ cup tequila
- ½ cup orange liqueur
- 2½ cups sugar
- 4½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
- Slice 2 of the limes in half and squeeze out their juice, discarding the seeds and peels. Divide the juice, reserving ¼ cup of the lime juice for later use. Then, set aside extra lime juice (if there is any) in a different container.
- Wash the oranges. Peel oranges and remaining limes, and set aside peels from 2 of the oranges, discarding all remaining peels. Remove and discard seeds, excess white pith, or fibrous parts of the membrane from the flesh of the fruit. Chop the flesh of the fruit.
- Using a paring knife, scrape off and discard the inner white part of the reserved orange peels. Slice the peels into thin strips, about 1-inch long.
- In a large saucepan, combine chopped fruit, sliced peels, 1½ cups of water, and the extra lime juice, if there is any (not including the ¼ cup reserved juice). Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Measure 5 cups of the cooked fruit (saving any extra for another use), and return the measured quantity to the saucepan. Add calcium water, the 1/4 cup reserved lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar and pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture back to a full boil over high heat. Slowly add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve pectin while the marmalade returns to a boil. Once it returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
- Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
- Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
I would love to make this recipe for gifts but am concerned with the liquor. Will the majority of the alcohol burn off as it does in savory main dish recipes? A couple of friends would love this, but do to their prescriptions alcohol is a big no-no.
Do you have any suggestions for substitutions? I’ve yet to perfect a virgin margarita because of the tequila flavor.
A good portion of the alcohol should burn off in the cooking process, but we cannot say for sure that all of it will. We would suggest using one of the non-alcoholic tequilas on the market, and orange juice can be substituted for the orange liquor. Happy jamming!