Meyer Lemon Marmalade.....

So these past couple of days my little munchkin has been under the weather. So we have pretty much been watching PBS kids and Harry Potter. No school yesterday or today, but I think we will try tomorrow. Well to be fair I did make him "play" on raz-kids for awhile yesterday. So it has been a laid back week so far. However, I do want to share with you my experience making Food and Wine magazine's Meyer Lemon Marmalade recipe. Now this recipe takes 3 days total to make but it's actually pretty easy and doesn't have very much active time. You start by weighing out 2 pounds of lemons. I have a great digital scale  that I bought from Tuesday Morning for my husband's sausage making. I use it way more than he does and I totally recommend everyone have one, especially if you bake. I received a lot of free lemons at one time. Some came from my husband's lovely aunt's tree and a few more from a guy at his work. So they were really fresh, homegrown, Texas Meyer lemons. YUM YUM YUM! I love lemons and I love orange marmalade so when I received my magazine and this recipe was in it. It was meant to be! I had to make it. After you weigh out the lemons you just cut them all into eight wedges and soak in water overnight...that's it. One easy step for day one. I soaked them in my favorite enamel coated cast iron pan. I love this pot and use it for almost everything! Wrap the top in plastic and let it set.

The next day you bring the lemon wedges to a boil and cook for 2 hours until tender. I lost track of time so I am not sure how long they cooked but it was a long time. It still turned out fine. Then pour these out into a mesh strainer and let set out overnight to drain, of course wrap with plastic when cool.

 I then rinsed out my pot and put the second batch of lemons in it to soak overnight.(Still day two) These lemons you slice up very thinly into little triangles. Next time I think I will cut the lemons even smaller than suggested, just to make spreading the marmalade on toast a little easier.

Day three you discard the lemon wedges that were draining, keeping the liquid, then juice enough lemons for 1/4 cup of juice. Bring the little slices to a boil and reduce for about 40 minutes. Then add the reserved liquid, the lemon juice and sugar and cook until it passes the test described in the recipe. I had to cook mine 40 minutes longer than their minimum, about 70 minutes total. This makes a lot of marmalade but it is so good! It is a bit sour ( I may add more sugar nest time) but it's made of lemons so you do have to expect that. It is also strangely addictive.Miles and my husband have already eaten a whole jar. I am thinking of making orange marmalade this week, so we will see how that tastes.  This marmalade is great with buttered whole wheat toast. I am going to try it with a bagel and plain cream cheese next!

After 30 minutes of cooking. Reduced just a bit  
     

This is what it looked like when I first did the test.
See the foam, skim that off.

This is what it looked like when  it passed the test.

I used new and recycled jars. I love the little red
 jars. They are the perfect size.

     

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

2 pounds Meyer lemon, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges each

2 pounds Meyer lemons, lengthwise into 8 wedges each, seeded and very thinly sliced crosswise

7 1/2 cups sugar (3 1/4 pounds)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Ten 1/2-pint canning jars with lids and rings, sterilized in boiling water

Day 1

 in a large nonreactive saucepan, cover the lemon wedges with 2

inches of water (about 8 cups) and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Day 2

Bring the lemon wedges to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring every 30 minutes, until the lemons are very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Pour the lemon wedges into a

sieve set over a large heatproof bowl; let cool completely. Wrap the fine sieve and bowl with plastic and let drain overnight at room temperature; discard the lemon wedges. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the Meyer lemon slices with 1 inch of water (about 4 cups) and let stand at room temperature

overnight.

Day 3

Bring the Meyer lemon slices to a boil and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the lemons are very tender and the cooking liquid is slightly reduced, about 40 minutes. Add the strained liquid, the sugar and the lemon juice, then bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat, without stirring (it's hard to do I know), until the mixture darkens slightly, about 30 minutes; skim off any foam as necessary. Test to see if it's ready.

TEST

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the marmalade onto a chilled plate (I stuck my plate in the freezer to chill) and refrigerate about 3 minutes; the marmalade is ready when it thickens like jelly and a spoon leaves a trail when dragged through it. If not ready continue simmering and testing every 10 minutes until it passes the test, up to 1 hour and 30 minutes.(I did an additional 40 minutes)

Ladle the marmalade into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top and screw on the lids. Using silicone or canning tongs, lower the jars into a large pot of boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. Do not fill the pot up too much because the jars will displace a lot of water. Remove the jars with the tongs and let stand until the lids seal. I set mine on a towel to cool and dry. I let mine cool overnight on the counter. Don't let the kids touch the jars. They hold their heat for quite some time. Marmalade can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

The final product is beautiful and delicious!!!

Here is the original recipe:

 http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/meyer-lemon-marmalade-rachel-saunders