Help with Dark Chunky Marmalade

Dear Martin,

I’m sorry to read that you are feeling so frustrated.

This is a very long recipe so I find reading it through a few times helps, but hopefully you will find the following details helpful this time…

The pulp and pips go into medium-sized saucepan with 570ml of the poaching liquid. 

Heat this pulp mixture over a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Line a nylon sieve with gauge or muslin and place over a bowl.

Pour the heated pulp mixture into the lined sieve and leave it to drip through and cool.

Meanwhile, if you haven’t already then cut the soft, cooked orange peel halves ,in halve again and then into strips (as chunky as you like).

Put these orange strips into the remaining poaching liquid in the preserving pan.

When the pulp is cool, what you need to do next is gather up the corners of the muslin and twist it into a ball, then, using your hands, squeeze all of the pectin-rich juices into the preserving pan, squeeze like mad so that every last bit of stickiness is extracted, and you're left only with the pithy membranes of the fruit inside the muslin which you can now discard. 

(This is the same as the squeezing of the muslin which can see on the video of Seville Orange Marmalade)

Put all the strained juices from the bowl and all the squeezed pulp into the preserving pan with the cut peel and poaching liquid.

Now (or tomorrow!)

Warm the preserving pan (with poaching liquid, peel, and pulp) over a medium heat.

Whilst it heats put the sugar in a roasting tin and warm in an oven at 170C for 10 minutes.

Then tip the warmed sugar into the pan to join the rest and reduce the heat (as you do not want it to boil).

Now, using a large wooden spoon, stir the marmalade, keeping the heat gentle, until all the sugar crystals have completely dissolved. 

Check the back of the spoon frequently to see if it is clear.

When there are absolutely no sugar crystals turn up the heat (to medium) and let the marmalade bubble away gently – it can take 3-4 hours for it to darken and develop its lovely rich flavour. Youi want it to gently bubble, NOT boil. You may need to turn the heat up or down.

When the marmalade has been cooking for 2½ hours place some small flat plates in the fridge. 

Then to test for a set (this is the same as the wrinkle test on the video).

If the test does not wrinkle (when left to go cold on the plate) continue cooking and do more testing at 15-minute intervals. 

When it has set, leave the marmalade to settle for 30 minutes before potting in sterilised jars.

Label when cold.

Hope this helps!

Lindsey