River Cottage Seville Orange Marmalade

 

Seville Orange Marmalade

The bitter Seville orange is the most traditional and arguably the finest marmalade fruit of all.

Prep time

• Requires overnight soak

Cook Time

• 25 minutes

Servings

• 5-6 450g jars

Ingredients

• 1kg Seville Oranges
• 75ml Lemon Juice
• 2kg Demerara Sugar

Directions

Scrub the oranges, remove the buttons at the top of the fruit, then cut in half. Squeeze out the juice and keep to one side. Using a sharp knife, slice the peel, pith and all, into thin, medium or chunky shreds, according to your preference. Put the sliced peel into a bowl with the orange juice and cover with 2.5 litres of water. Leave to soak overnight or for up to 24 hours.
Transfer the whole mixture to a preserving pan, bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 8-10 minutes - a little longer if the peel is in chunky pieces - then stir gently to disperse any scum.
Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. - For more information about sterilisation of containers, and all things preserves, get your copy of the DVD!

Recipe of the week - 12 November 2012 - Roasted honey apples

• 4 medium Bramley apples , each weighing about 200g/8oz
• 4 tbsp clear honey
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 250g blackberries

This guilt-free pudding tastes wonderful served with low-fat fromage frais, mixed with a little honey

Recipe uploaded by

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C. Core the apples so you have a hole the size of a pound coin in each one. Make a cut just into the skin around the middle of each apple.
2. Stand the apples in a shallow baking dish large enough to take all four. Mix together the honey, cinnamon and orange zest, put an equal amount into the cavity of each apple, then pour the orange juice into the dish.
3. Roast the apples for about 40 minutes, spooning the juices over them occasionally. Then, when the apples are almost ready, spoon the blackberries around and over the top of each apple. Return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the juices start to run. Spoon the blackberries and juices over the apples to serve.

Recipe of the Week - Jubilee Week

from members; Mo and Charlie

Greek Orange and Honey Syrup Cake with Yoghurt and Pistachios

The sharp acidity of the orange in this cake combines beautifully with the sweetness of the Greek mountain honey. Because the cake is soaked in syrup, you can make it well ahead and just whip it out when you’re ready to serve.

  Serves 12

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 small oranges (weighing about 9 oz/250 g)

4½ oz (125 g) ground almonds

6 oz (175 g) well-softened butter, plus a little extra for greasing

6 oz (175 g) golden caster sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

9 oz (250 g) semolina

4½ level teaspoons baking powder

For the syrup:

8 fl oz (225 ml) Greek mountain honey

5 tablespoons orange juice

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1½ inch (4 cm) cinnamon stick

For the topping:

7 oz (200 g) Greek yoghurt

1½ oz (40 g) unsalted, shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons Greek mountain honey

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

You will also need a 10 inch (25.5 cm) springform cake tin, lightly greased and the base lined with greased silicone paper (baking parchment).

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three.

Method

First, cut the oranges into chunks, removing the pips. Then tip the whole lot – flesh, pith and zest – into a food processor and whiz it to a thick purée. Now all you do is simply put all the other cake ingredients into a large bowl and, provided the butter is really soft, just go in with an electric hand whisk and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. After that, fold in the orange purée, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of the spoon.

Now place the cake on the centre shelf of the oven and bake it for an initial 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, or until it is golden brown, springy in the centre and has shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. To do this, simply combine the honey and 5 tablespoons water with the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan, place it over a gentle heat, bring it up to simmering point and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes. After that, take the pan off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the orange and lemon juices.

a Delia Smith special

Leave the cake aside to cool for 5 minutes, then remove it from the tin to a wire rack to cool, with a large plate underneath. Make a few holes all over it with a skewer before pouring the syrup over it. (It will look like there is far too much, but don’t worry, the cake will absorb more than you think, and any that is not absorbed can be poured from the plate back over the cake.) Then, when the cake is absolutely cold, place it on a serving plate, cover it and leave it in a cool place overnight.

Just before serving, spread the top of the cake with the Greek yoghurt, sprinkle over the pistachios, drizzle with the honey and serve cut into chunky slices.

Note: This cake can also be made to serve 8-10, in an 8 inch (20 cm) tin, using 1 orange, 3 oz (75 g) ground almonds, 4 oz (110 g) each softened butter and sugar, 2 large eggs, 6 oz (175 g) semolina and 3 level teaspoons baking powder. For the syrup, use 5 fl oz (150 ml) honey, 3 tablespoons each water and orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 inch (2.5 cm) cinnamon stick. For the topping, use 7 oz (200g) Greek yoghurt, 1 oz (25 g) pistachios and 1½ tablespoons honey. Bake the cake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature and 25-30 minutes at the lower temperature.