I was gifted the full set of The Best of Mrs Beeton books over Christmas and dived straight in with the Jams, Pickles & Preserves book as soon as I had the opportunity, which is where I found, not one, but three recipes for Lemon Marmalade!
I chose Lemon Marmalade 1, because it seemed the most simple. It took about 3 hours to make, but for the bulk of the time it didn't need to be watched.
The house smelled absolutely amazing throughout the entire process and the lemony vapours worked wonders on our winter snuffles!
The boiled lemons were extremely slimy and difficult to slice and my hands were stinging by the last few lemons because of the acidity.
The Best of Mrs Beeton's Jams, Pickles & Preserves
Lemon Marmalade I (as it appears in the book)
"Place the lemons in a preserving-pan, cover them with cold water, and boil them gently for about 2 hours, during which time the water must be drained off and replaced by fresh boiling water at least three times. Let the cool slightly, slice thinly, remove all the pips, and weigh the fruit. To each 450g/1lb allow 900g/2lb granulated sugar and 600ml/1 pint of the water the lemons were last boiled in, and boil these together until a thin syrup is obtained. Then add the prepared fruit, and boil until the marmalade jellies when tested on a cold plate. Cover closely and store in a cool, dry place."
"Place the lemons in a preserving-pan, cover them with cold water, and boil them gently for about 2 hours, during which time the water must be drained off and replaced by fresh boiling water at least three times. Let the cool slightly, slice thinly, remove all the pips, and weigh the fruit. To each 450g/1lb allow 900g/2lb granulated sugar and 600ml/1 pint of the water the lemons were last boiled in, and boil these together until a thin syrup is obtained. Then add the prepared fruit, and boil until the marmalade jellies when tested on a cold plate. Cover closely and store in a cool, dry place."
The recipe doesn't use quantities, however I used 7 medium sized, un-waxed lemons which, by sheer fluke, made exactly 450g fruit so the sugar and lemon water quantities were very easy to work out.
The set of books was a fabulous gift for me, I'm very grateful for it and I know I will get a lot out of it. But I do wonder what Mrs Beeton herself would have made of the way her books have been carelessly updated with spelling mistakes etc. and are being marketed under her name, containing modern ingredients, metric measurements and microwave instructions, among other things, despite her having died in 1865. Perhaps she wouldn't care less about the quality and just been pleased that her ideas were still being used after so long. Who knows. I can't help thinking that if I'd have bought the books myself, hoping to find authentic old fashioned recipes and other household methods, I'd feel a bit duped by these books. (Grump over!)
I have to say, I really enjoyed the chance to get preserving again and was pleased as punch with myself for managing to get exactly the consistency I was hoping for, probably for the first time. Reading up on different methods (rather than my previous slap dash efforts) and having a decent preserving pan are really starting to pay off. I am plotting and planning things to grow on the allotment this year now, so that I can plan ahead what I can preserve in pretty jars!
I have to say, I really enjoyed the chance to get preserving again and was pleased as punch with myself for managing to get exactly the consistency I was hoping for, probably for the first time. Reading up on different methods (rather than my previous slap dash efforts) and having a decent preserving pan are really starting to pay off. I am plotting and planning things to grow on the allotment this year now, so that I can plan ahead what I can preserve in pretty jars!
If making marmalade is tickling your fancy, I found another recipe here that can also be adapted to Seville Oranges, when they arrive in the shops and markets.
5 comments:
how does it taste? I like the lime marmalade that you can buy, but orange is blurgh.
It's sweet, sharp and lemony but with a slightly bitter aftertaste that you'd expect from marmalade. I really like it.
This sounds so good. I am a sucker for lemon curd tarts, or lemon custard, so this sounds fantastic. I see a few gluten free scones with lemon marmalade in my future
mmm...it sounds really good!
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I shall try this, as my husband really loves it. Thanks. Yes, it certainly sounds a shame that the new information has been added to an old style book!
If you save the first round of the lemon water (the strongest of them all) and cool it, you can use it for a cheap air freshener. I bottle it into a small room spray - the pump kind. Adding a drop of vodka, or similar, helps to keep it preserved.
Or, you can just drink the vodka and enjoy your marmalade making more.. LOL... !!
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