Ingredients
- 20 clementines
- 2 lemons
- 5 cups water
- 3 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
Directions
- Wash and peel clementines, reserving peel from three clementines. Set aside reserved peel and cut all clementines, first in half and then quarter halves. Put clementine pieces in a large non-aluminum pot. Do not use an aluminum pan as it can react with citrus. A cast iron dutch oven is ideal.
- Peel both lemons reserving seeds. Cut lemon same as clementines and add diced lemon flesh to pot with clementines. Dice reserved clementine peel into small (1/4-inch) pieces and add to the pot. Add sugar and water and turn stove on to medium-high.
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While the fruit and water are heating up, add reserved lemon seeds to a cheesecloth bag with a tie or place seeds in a piece of cheesecloth that you can tie with kitchen twine. Drop it into the pot. Bring the fruit to a boil, turn heat back to simmer and cook for 60-75 minutes, stirring occasionally until water evaporates and preserves start to thicken. Remove cheesecloth with lemon seeds from pot. If you'd like a smoother consistency preserve, use an immersion blender to pulse the preserves and rind until desired consistency is achieved.
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Preserves will gel more as they cool. It's crucial not to overcook preserves and keep a close eye on it during the last 10-20 minutes as they can burn easily.
- Transfer preserves to clean, sterile jars and store in the fridge up to 3 months.
Puree the rinds and clementine flesh with an emersion blender to create a bitter-sweet dream that's more like jam than marmalade.
Recipe developed for Imperial Sugar by Kelley Epstein @Mountain Mama Cooks.