Angelica, Meghan and I are all challenging ourselves to blog every day during the month of May.  We are hoping you can join in too!  Today’s prompt: Share a Recipe. 

Have you seen the Paddington movie yet?  If you haven’t, stop everything you’re doing now and watch that movie.  It is incredibly cute.  Bennett took Louis to the theater to watch it and they both were eagerly waiting until it was released on iTunes so they could share it with me.

Beyond all of the adorable and endearing mischievous things that Paddington gets into, he lands the fact that he loves marmalade.  Everyone should have a marmalade day!  Paddington even carries a marmalade sandwich in his hat at all times because of the advice his uncle gave him.

That theme really stuck with Louis.  He randomly shouted out one day that he wanted to make marmalade.  And Bennett, who is a crazy awesome dad, made it happen.  I mean, he went to the store almost in an instant and picked up the ingredients and got to work.

Paddington’s Marmalade

Ingredients:
1 3/4 lbs oranges (4 / 5 medium)
1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
6 cups water
3 lbs plus 12 oz sugar
12 8-oz canning jars

Directions

Wash the oranges and lemons.  Cut the oranges into 1/8 inch slices, removing seeds as you go.  Stack the orange slices and cut them into quarters.  Place the oranges into an 8-quart stainless steel pot.  Add the lemon zest and juice and add the water to the pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 10 minutes.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 40 mintes or until the fruit is very soft.

While the fruit is cooking, fill a large pot (at least 12-quart) 3/4 full with water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Place 10 (8-ounce) jars and rings, canning funnel, ladle, and tongs into the boiling water and make sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lids and leave everything in the pot until the marmalade is ready.

Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer. Increase the heat under the orange mixture to return to full boil. Add the sugar and stir the mixture continually, until it reaches 222 to 223 degrees F on a deep-fry or candy thermometer, and darkens in color, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat in order to prevent boil over. Test the readiness of the marmalade by placing a teaspoon of the mixture onto the chilled plate and allowing it to sit for 30 seconds. Tilt the plate. The mixture should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs easily, it is not ready.

Remove jars from the water and drain on a clean towel. Place a canning funnel onto the top of 1 of the jars and ladle in the marmalade just to below the bottom of the threads of the jar. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used. The amount of marmalade may vary by 1 to 2 jars. Wipe the rims and threads of the jars with a moist paper towel and top each with a lid. Place a ring on each jar and tighten.

Return the jars to the pot with boiling water, being certain that they don’t touch the bottom of the pot or each other. (If you don’t have a jar rack, try a round cake rack, or metal mesh basket. Even a folded kitchen towel on the pot bottom will do in a pinch.) Add additional water if necessary to cover the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 10 minutes. Using canning tongs, carefully remove the jars from the water, place in a cool dry place and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before opening. Once open, store in the refrigerator. Unopened marmalade will last for up to 6 months.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, Food Network.

We’ve gone through a couple of jars already and it is super delicious.  As you can see, we’ve even used it on our waffles.  Yummo.

Every family should have a marmalade day!!