A CELEBRATORY clink of glasses tinkles across the kitchen.
Even above the customary clatter, the sound is unmistakable. Don't jump to the wrong conclusions: this is not drunken chefs swilling back glasses of booze. At The Peat Inn, we're not that kind of chef, I'll have you know. No, this is simply the last step of our annual marathon marmalade-making session: filling the jars. The aroma of bitter oranges, sweetened by patient simmering with just enough sugar to soften the strident sharpness, is seductively alluring: I can't resist spooning a little of the molten liquid onto a crusty roll, just out of the oven.
Every January, after the New Year break, we make the marmalade with the kitchen team. This year, it is a case of "better late than never". The restaurant has been closed up until now, for a major refurbishment; by the skin of our teeth, we are just in time to order some Seville oranges and prepare enough marmalade for the coming year's breakfasts. If you're quick, you can just get some made too.
I don't just keep it for breakfast. Most famously, marmalade is the sticky glaze essential for anointing a fluffy steamed pudding, but it's also great for savoury uses: a spoonful swirled into a roasting juices for duck is a speedy classic worth rediscovering
Homemade Seville orange marmalade
Makes about 4kg
1.3kg granulated sugar
2.6kg Seville oranges
juice of 2 lemons
2 litres water
1. Place whole oranges in a large pan and add lemon juice and water. To keep them submerged, cover with a disc of parchment paper with a hole in the middle. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring slowly to the boil then allow to simmer steadily until the skins are soft and can be pierced with a fork, about two hours
2. Lift oranges out into a bowl or deep-sided tray and leave to stand just long enough that you can handle them. Halve them then thoroughly scoop out the flesh, pith and pulp, into the cooking water. Pour back any water that has collected around the oranges while cooling. Bring this liquid back to the boil, simmer for six minutes then pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing with the back of a ladle to extract all the essential pectin which will make the finished marmalade set.
3. This next stage can be done in one batch, or, if your pan is not big enough to hold everything, divide the water, sugar and oranges in two and follow the process (step 3 and 4) with the first half of the ingredient then repeat with the remaining half, then combine at the end). Pre-heat the oven to 120c. Place the sugar in a roasting tray, warm it for five minutes then add to the cooking liquid and heat gently to dissolve. Boil for 10 minutes.
4. While waiting, cut the orange skin into thin strips (fine or chunky, depending on your preferred shred). Add these to the pan, only once the sugar has dissolved and had its 10 minutes boiling time. Return to the boil and simmer until setting point is reached, about 30 minutes. To test, place two or three saucers in the freezer. Remove one saucer from the freezer and place a spoonful of the liquid on it. Leave for 15 seconds then push it with your finger: it should have thickened and cause wrinkles; if not, continue for a further 10 minutes and repeat until ready.
5. Once done, remove form the heat and stand for 20 minutes. Wash, heat and sterilise your jars by running them through the dishwasher on a quick 30-minute setting. Then divide the marmalade between the jars and seal. With a warm cloth, wash off the outside to ensure they are not sticky. Leave to cool then store in a cool place.
Steamed marmalade pudding
Serves four
Butter, for greasing
4 tbsp marmalade
For the sponge
175g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Generously butter a 1.2-litre pudding basin and spoon the marmalade into the base. Boil a kettle of water. To prepare your steamer, put a snugly fitting upturned bowl in the base of a large, deep saucepan.
2. Put the sponge ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth (don't overwork the mix), then tip into the pudding basin. Cover with a lid made of baking parchment and then with foil, and secure with string. Stand the pudding on the upturned bowl in your saucepan. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the pudding basin. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and leave to steam for 2½ hrs, topping up with boiling water as needed.
3. To check the pudding is cooked: insert a skewer through the foil and parchment lid so it reaches the centre of the pudding. If the skewer still has some wet mixture on it, return the pudding to the steamer for a further 15-20 minutes, then check again. Once cooked, uncover and turn the pudding onto a plate. Serve straight away with custard or pouring cream.
Geoffrey Smeddle is the chef patron of The Peat Inn by St Andrews, Fife, KY15 5LH 01334 840206 www.thepeatinn.co.uk
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