Rhubarb Grapefruit Marmalade
I’m in Jasper all this week, doing cooking demos at Christmas in November – this year, the theme is Alice Eats, so we’re talking tea parties. This recipe isn’t in the book, but marmalade is an essential component of a true high tea (or is it strawberry jam?) – I love tart marmalade in the winter, and it reminds me of my grandma, who made great scones and served them with Robertson’s Thick Cut.
I know rhubarb is associated with spring, being the first out of the ground when it thaws, but this year it was the last one standing in my garden, and I managed to harvest a bunch from back by the garage and pilfered my mom’s plant too before it decided to dump with snow, so a good part of my freezer is taken up by chopped stalks.
I often use some up in my cranberry sauce, since rhubarb and cranberries have a similar tartness. But since rhubarb goes as well with winter citrus as it does with summer strawberries, I decided to use some of the grapefruit I keep buying and not eating and make a batch of marmalade. Red rhubarb + pink grapefruit makes a brilliant ruby-coloured marmalade that would be pretty to pack into jars to bring to holiday parties, don’t you think?
You slice the peel thin and simmer until its soft; the membranes and seeds contain pectin, so bundle them up in cheesecloth and simmer alongside. Depending on the grapefruit you get, you may not wind up with a whole lot of seeds; I didn’t, and so used a package of pectin as backup. No biggie.
There’s also a Canadian Living connection here – a magazine I grew up with, learned to cook from, and idolized its then food editor and Canadian food icon Elizabeth Baird, who is here in Jasper, who sat in the back row of yesterday’s session and knitted as she listened (talk about performance anxiety) and who earlier this year was made a member of the Order of Canada. I still aspire to be her when (if!) I grow up.
Rhubarb Grapefruit Marmalade
AuthorJulieUsing a citrus reamer (you get far more out that way) squeeze the juice of the grapefruits and lemon into a bowl, getting rid of the seeds. Remove the membranes and set the seeds and membranes into a square of cheesecloth, bundle it up and tie with a string. Place in a large, heavy saucepan with the juice.
Stack the grapefruit skins on a cutting board (peel away any excess white pith with your fingers first) and cut into thin strips. Cut crosswise so that the pieces are no longer than an inch. Add them to the pan.
Add 5 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring often, for about 2 1/2 hours or until the peel is very soft. Remove the bag and let cool. You should have about 5 cups. Add the sugar and rhubarb, bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture gels when dropped onto a chilled plate; it should wrinkle when pushed with your finger. Continue to cook until it reaches that stage. If it doesn't, add a package of pectin and boil hard for a minute or two.
Pour into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal and boil in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for longer-term storage, otherwise store in the fridge or freezer.
Ingredients
Directions
Using a citrus reamer (you get far more out that way) squeeze the juice of the grapefruits and lemon into a bowl, getting rid of the seeds. Remove the membranes and set the seeds and membranes into a square of cheesecloth, bundle it up and tie with a string. Place in a large, heavy saucepan with the juice.
Stack the grapefruit skins on a cutting board (peel away any excess white pith with your fingers first) and cut into thin strips. Cut crosswise so that the pieces are no longer than an inch. Add them to the pan.
Add 5 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring often, for about 2 1/2 hours or until the peel is very soft. Remove the bag and let cool. You should have about 5 cups. Add the sugar and rhubarb, bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture gels when dropped onto a chilled plate; it should wrinkle when pushed with your finger. Continue to cook until it reaches that stage. If it doesn't, add a package of pectin and boil hard for a minute or two.
Pour into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal and boil in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for longer-term storage, otherwise store in the fridge or freezer.
Glorious colour, Julie! Just what we needed on this snowy winter day. Now I just hope I have some frozen rhubarb.
P.S. Have a wonderful time at the Lodge…post pictures of CIN when and if you can.
I adore both grapefruit and rhubarb – this marmalade looks delicious and is so pretty too. If only I had a stash of frozen rhubarb too! One of these years I will make it to Christmas in November – it sounds wonderful.
Ah, you and me both with the Elizabeth Baird thing. I could be her in a parallel life.
I love both BUT cannot eat grapefruit (reacts strongly with meds). Citrus? I wonder if oranges with a lemon might do the trick……
Igow rhu arb, well after I nurtured my seeds and did the plants it would be right to say the rhubar grows itself! Well worth that effort as we have had FREE rhubarb for,oh, about 10 years now! There is a whole row and primulas for groundcover and similar.
Greetings,
Your jam looks delightful.One question I have when I view many recipes for jam is why all the sugar in the ingredients? I usual try to reduce the sugar to two parts fruit to one part sugar so I get more of the fruit flavor. Sometimes I use too little sugar as I did making rhubarb cranberry freezer jam this fall, which came out to about a 25% ratio of sugar to fruit. I have adapted the use of pectin in strawberry freezer jam to compensate for the less firm jell by increasing it to 150% of what the manufacture recommends in low sugar fruit canning. Let me know, I seen to have rambled on a bit.
I so need to try this! I love grapefruit marmalade, and I love rhubarb…now I just need to see if I can track some down!
How many half pints does this make?