Orange Marmalade

We had a wedding in the family recently. It was so much fun. For a wedding which supposed to be short and sweet, it ended up being  a loooooong wedding going over almost three months. Yes. You did read that right. Three months. Each month had a different function. But the good part of that was that  we thoroughly enjoyed each and every ceremony and function. When the ceremonies run continuously over a period of 3-4 days, then you get so tired after the first cocktail party, that  the remaining  events just go off in a blur. You don't remember the food, the decor, anything.

But the point of bringing up the wedding was that when a brides family came home for the first time, it is customary to bring some fruit and sweets. But this family brought these vast quantities of fruit. Enough to feed an army for a month. Really.
In that lot of fruit, were these two bags of little oranges. When I say little I mean little. They were really cute as a button. But not sure what to do with them, we decided to make marmalade with it.

This was my first foray into the world of jam making. It came out quite well but it does not last too long. As there are no preservatives, you have to be extremely careful in sterilising the jars and in using dry spoons to serve.

Very easy to make and not too many ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilogram Clementine Oranges ( you can use tangerines too)
1 kilogram Sugar
Juice of two Limes


METHOD:

Wash the clementines well. Cut them into quarters.

Take out the seeds and pith (the white part of the peel).

Tie the seeds and the pith in a little muslin bag.

Put the quartered clementines into the blender and blend till the skin is into small bits. Be careful not to make it a paste. It has to have a bite as we are not cutting the peel into slivers.

Put it into a thick saucepan along with 3 cups of water and the juice of the limes.


Add the sugar and bring to a rolling boil. Keep cooking stirring at regular intervals till it starts thickening and reaching a setting point.

Check if it is reached that point by putting a couple of drops on a plate and pushing it when cool. If it starts wrinkling, then the marmalade is ready.

Cool till it is room temperature, then pour into the sterilised bottles and seal.

Serve on toast or use in cakes...

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Citrus Cake and Taste of Oranges

As mentioned in my earlier post here, the change of seasons brings the freshest of fruits and vegetables. Right now with winter on our heels, the market is flooded with delicious kamala oranges. I think nature also knows what is good for us and when. Oranges with their high Vitamin C content helps protect us against colds and any other passing infections. And sure enough, right on cue, oranges come right when we need them to.

Oranges are one fruit that the children really enjoy. Even if they are a little tart now and then, they still down them at a furious pace. Oranges are supposed to have a high satiety factor even compared to bananas.

Oranges are such a versatile fruit. Can be used in so many different ways. Cakes, desserts, juices, cooking, just by itself... the list goes on.

The other day a friend asked for a cake for a bake sale. I had been wanting to make this cake for a long long time. This then became the perfect one to make for the sale.





It is an easy recipe which can be made by anyone, even rank beginners.


Ingredients:

2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon essence
1/2 cup orange juice


For glace frosting:

2 cups icing sugar/ confectioners sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
juice of 1 lime


Method:

Sift together all the dry ingredients ( flour, baking powder, salt).

Cream the softened butter and sugar till light. Add lemon essence and eggs one at a time. Mix well.

Add milk and the dry ingredients and continue to beat till well mixed.

Bake in a greased and lined 9 X 13 inch pan at 175 deg C for about 25 minutes

When the cake is still hot, take out from the pan and poke holes in it. Pour orange juice over it till it gets soaked.

Frost the cake.


Frosting method:

Sift the icing sugar. Heat the orange juice and mix with the icing sugar and lemon juice. Pour over the cake and leave to set.

Decorate with sprinkles.