Bombay Breakfast Marmalade

After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. But there are many different ways to enjoy tea. Our first round of staff created tea recipes was a big hit and we've had many ask us to do it again. In response we recently had another staff potluck and here are the results, just in time for the rainy season (or winter as it's known outside of Portland). This month we have  a marmalade inspired by our Bombay Breakfast blend!

This is a longer process and involves water bath canning. There are basic canning notes ate the end, but finding a book on the basics of canning is helpful. This recipe is adapted from one in Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan, an informative read into small batch canning and a great resource for those interested in diving deeper into water bath canning.

Bombay Breakfast Marmalade
by Tyler

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs Meyer Lemons (try and find organic)
• 2 lbs Cara Cara Oranges (try and find organic)
• 6 cups sugar
• 6 tbsp rose petals
• 3 tbsp cardamom pods
• 1 cup ginger juice
• 3 tbsp Assam tea
• 2 quarts water
• Optional: 2 tsp powdered pectin

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash the fruit in warm soapy water and dry thoroughly.

2. Use a serrated-edge vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the fruit—try to avoid as much of the white pith as possible. Stack the zest strips in piles and chop them into fine confetti.

3. Combine the zest in a pot with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-high and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the zest ribbons are tender.

4. While the zest is cooking, "supreme" the fruit. To do this use a sharp knife to carefully cut the top and bottom off of the fruit. Next carefully cut the white pith away from the fruit. Then cut the fruit into its segments by cutting between the membranes. (Here's a helpful video on supreming citrus.) Collect the fruit and any juices in a large measuring cup. (An option is to set aside the membranes and any seeds. Collect them in a mesh/muslin bag.)

5. Drain the zest in a fine mesh sieve, reserving the cooking liquid. To that reserved cooking liquid, add the 3 tbsp of Assam loose leaf tea and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Strain the tea leaves from the liquid.

6. In a small skillet, carefully toast the cardamom pods over low heat until fragrant. Slip into a mortar and lightly crack the pods. (A rolling pin also works to crack the pods.)

7. Prepare a boiling water bath and 8 half pint jars for canning. Put the lids in a small sauce pan, add enough water to cover, and simmer on very low heat.

8. In a large pot, combine the drained zest, segmented fruit, 4 cups of the reserved cooking liquid, the sugar (if using powdered pectin, whisk it into the sugar before adding), the lemon juice, the one cup ginger juice, and the toasted cardamom pods.

If you're not using the powdered pectin this is when you would add the bag of membranes and seeds. Citrus seeds and membranes are naturally high in pectin.

9. Bring to a boil and cook vigorously until the mixture reaches 220° F. This takes about 30-40 minutes. Stir regularly during this time to help prevent scorching. Once it reaches 220° F, remove the bag of membranes/seeds and set aside to cool.

10. Once the marmalade reaches temp, give it a big stir and take the temperature again. If it maintains 220°, even after stirring then remove the pot from the heat. You can test the set of the marmalade by placing a dollop of the marmalade on a small pre-frozen plate. Tip the plate and if the surface of the marmalade starts to wrinkle and move slowly, then it's ready. If it's still runny return the pot to the heat and cook for another 5 minutes before repeating the test.

11. Once the marmalade is setting to your satisfaction, stir in the rose petals and give the entire thing a big stir to evenly distribute the zest and rose petals.

12. Ladle the marmalade into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

13. Remove jars after 10 minutes and set on a towel on the counter. Allow to cool and seal, you should hear "pings" as the seals set. Once completely cool, check to make sure all the jars are sealed. Label and date each jar.

14. Enjoy with toast, scones, ice cream, English muffins, or whatever you desire!

NOTES ON CANNING:

• Check your jars for nicks or cracks when starting a batch.
• An easy way to preheat and sterilize your jars is to put them in the same pot you'll be canning with. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for a bit as you finish preparing your marmalade.
• Once you're ready to can, it's an easy thing to remove the jars from the boiling water, pour out whatever water is inside, and set them right side up on a clean towel. The heat of the glass will rapidly evaporate any remaining water.
• A funnel will help fill the jars with the marmalade easily and cleanly. Make sure to leave about ½" of head-space—the area between the surface of the marmalade and the top of the jar.
• Make sure to keep everything clean and sterile! Wipe up any messes with a clean wet towel. Keep the rims of the jars clean especially; this ensures they can seal.
• Once you re-add the filled jars to the pot, bring it back up to a boil. Once it's boiling, start your timer.
• If any of the jars haven't sealed you can put them in the fridge and use them first. They should keep for about two weeks in the fridge.
• Water bath canning relies on pH to make sure the food you can doesn't spoil and become toxic. Citrus are high in acid; the addition of the extra lemon juice ensures that the pH is low enough to create an acidic enough environment so that any bad microorganisms can't survive. If at any time a sealed jar has a bulging lid, has a foul smell, colorful growth, or bubbling when it shouldn't be then don't eat it! Throw it away. This should be hard to have happen, though, especially with marmalade as it is a high-acid food.
• This is a fairly easy recipe to follow if you have canned before. If you haven't it's highly recommended that you get a book on canning from the library or bookstore—or check out the Canning 101 page from Food in Jars.