Buttered Brioche w/ Meyer Lemon-Blood Orange Marmalade
2 Meyer Lemons
8 Blood Oranges
1 cup water + some additional water
1/2 box of fruit pectin
4 3/4 cups of sugar
Rinse lemons and oranges. Using a vegetable peeler, cut colored part only from 2 of the lemons and 3 of the oranges. Cut into very thin strips. Put peels and 1 cup of water in a non-reactive pan.
Cut and discard remaining peel and membrane from the 2 lemons and 3 oranges which were peeled. Cut up the fruit and remove seeds. Place cut up lemons and oranges in a food processor. Process lemons and oranges into a smooth purée. Pour purée into pan.
Squeeze juice from remaining oranges into pan. Cook until peels are tender. Maybe 10 minutes. You want a total of 3 1/2 cups of liquid. If you are short, make up the remaining fluid volume with water. Stir in 1/2 box of fruit pectin.
Bring the liquid to a full rolling boil. While the liquid is heating mesure the EXACT amount of sugar. I was tempted to use considerably less sugar, but straight from the pectin package "REDUCING SUGAR OF USING SUGAR SUBSTITUTES WILL RESULT IN SET FAILURES. Try Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed REcipes Fruit Pectin for no-sugar jams and jellies."
Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 4 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Continue to stir for an additional 5 minutes. This is to prevent the peel from just floating on the top and instead distributing it evenly. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
Here you can jar your marmalade if you wish. Use standard canning procedures. Otherwise, transfer marmalade into whatever serving receptacle you wish. Let marmalade cool at room temperature overnight and then refigerate.
Cut brioche into 1/2 inch slices, butter and brown under the broiler. Spread generously with homemade marmalade. Yum!
