Author Notes: My daughter loves to help me cook and loves to pretend to cook me elaborate meals. Whether it is in her play kitchen or the bath, she is always handing me her creations, proudly announcing their invented names. Occasionally I find myself determined to invent a real version and was really pleased with a caramelized carrot hot sauce we call Scarlet Fever.
Just this week I was handed Lemon Shantay which, I later found out, had been made with Marvelade. I knew right away I would be creating (or trying to create) something that could stand up to that name. I love love orange marmalade and had never made it before. I also love love pairing toasty nuts with citrus. I thought that if I candied some walnuts with sugar, salt and some spicy ginger, they would offer some nice surprise bites to a thick, sticky, orange marmaladish concoction. This version is a lot thicker than jam as I like all the chewy bits and I think it would be a great condiment for savory meats too. —savorthis
Makes: about 40 ounces
Ingredients
Marmalade
-
2
pounds oranges, well scrubbed
-
28
ounces sugar
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3/4
cup sherry vinegar
Spiced Walnuts
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2
cups walnuts, chopped
-
1/4
cup reserved orange syrup
-
2
tablespoons sugar
-
1
teaspoon zest from half an orange
-
1
teaspoon ground ginger
-
1
teaspoon salt
Directions
Marmalade
- Zest half of one orange and reserve for the walnuts. Thinly slice all oranges (I used a mandoline) and cut into quarters. Add to a large, wide pot and add water just to cover. You can soak for a couple hours or overnight.
- Bring to a boil and simmer until oranges are very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Add sugar and vinegar, turn heat to high and boil until mixture begins to thicken. Remove 1/4 cup for the walnuts. Continue to boil until temperature reaches about 212. You can also put a drop on a cold plate, wait a minute or two and see if it congeals. If so, you are done. Otherwise keep cooking a bit.
- I canned mine, so I had a canning pot and jars ready. Just before adding to the canning pot, I folded in the walnuts (below).
Spiced Walnuts
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss walnuts in reserved orange syrup and remaining ingredients. Bake, stirring once for about 7-8 minutes, watching carefully. Let cool. Fold into marmalade.
/bbae184b-6b0f-40a9-9f69-7a0933fbc399--marvelade_sm.jpg "Orange Walnut Marvelade 2")
