Back in 2013, I made a delicious Pear and Lemon Marmalade. I wanted to make a preserve this morning, but only had three organic lemons in 'store', and with it being cold and miserable, just did not want to go out to get more. There were some organic limes ready for a desert, so a few of them were commandeered to join the preserve.
At knitting on Thursday Maggie was explaining a 'Victorian' Christmas cake recipe, where everything was made in the same pan, to avoid as much washing up as possible! Well they did not have running hot water and detergents, and washing up must have been quite a chore. I can hear Mr M saying 'it still is'. Well he is away, and it is I who will be doing all the washing up.
This marmalade was therefore all made in the same pan: the pressure cooker.
I took 400g combined weight lemon and limes, first carefully washed, then chopped them into quarters, extracted the juice, then put the fruit skins and pips and cooked them for 12 minutes at full pressure with 500ml of water. Meantime I skinned and chopped 800g pears, and tossed them in the remaining lemon and lime juice.
When the peel was sufficiently cool, after the membranes were scrapped off, the peel with all its pith still attached was finely chopped. ( The last little detail was added for Jason who asked the question). The pith really turns to a soft jelly like edge to the peel, and gives a good mouth feel in the final marmalde.
Thchopped peel was then put back into the pressure cooker with the chopped pear, and brought to pressure for another five minutes. Meanwhile I pushed the pulp which includes the internal juicy parts of the lemons and limes, the scrapping and pips through a sieve, and this was then added with 650g sugar, to the pressure cooker as soon as it was cool enough to open. You are left with just a the pips and the bits which could not pass the sieve which go in the bin. This is when the tablespoon of cardamon pods are added. I had thought of adding juniper berries as I had done with Lime Marmalade once...maybe another time.
The next stage of boiling up the marmalade was done with the lid off!!!! Towards the end of cooking when the temperature was about 103 C I fished out the pods, and using two forks, to prevent burning, I squidged out the seeds which went back in the pan, then just within few minutes and the magic 105 C was reached.
Of course the marmalade is rather fruity, but with just 650g sugar there are only two medium and two large jars.
All that chopping and washing up for just four jars....it will be worth it, I hope!
