Breakfast / Brunch Recipes

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

January 14, 2015

Every year I’m thankful for the citrus season which helps us get through the darkest days of the year. Not only for the joy of peeling huge quantities of Clementine, reveling in their invigorating smell and burst of sweet juice in my mouth, but also for my all time favorite sweet pink grapefruit which I consume in all forms from juice to jams or simply on its own.

Pink grapefruit makes such a wonderful marmalade with its slightly bitter and translucent peels and is such an economical way to consume the bright fruit well throughout the year. All you need is a grapefruit, a lemon and some sugar and you’re good to go! The rinds of citrus fruits are naturally high in pectin so you don’t even need to add any; just a slow simmering of the peels will release it and turn your sweet and fruity water into a thick, jewel-toned marmalade – a breeze!

The result is a deliciously sticky spread that’s both sweet and slightly tart; in my opinion a sharper and more interesting marmalade than the original orange we see everywhere. It’s also incredibly versatile and at home on top of a hot buttered toast as much as spooned over ice cream, mixed into tarts, and simply accompanying cheese. No matter how you consume it it’ll inevitably brighten your darkest days…

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Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

 

Recipe from Saveur magazine
Active time: 1hr
Total time: 6hrs
Makes 2 half pint

1 medium pink grapefruit
2½ cups pure cane sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

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Wash grapefruit under warm water. Halve crosswise and squeeze juice into a bowl. Remove seeds and tie them up in a small square of cheesecloth. Refrigerate juice until ready to use.

Using a small metal spoon, scoop out and discard pulp and membrane, leaving thick white pitch attached to peel. Halve grapefruit halves, then slice into strips about ¼” thick. Put peels, seeds, and 3 1/3 cups cold water into a wide heavy medium pot. Place a plate on top of peels to hold them under water. Set aside to let soak at room temperature for 4 hours and as long as overnight.

Put pot with peels, seeds, and water over medium to medium-low heat and simmer until peels are soft, about 25 minutes. Add sugar, lemon juice, and reserved grapefruit juice to pot and stir well. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium to medium-low to retain a gentle simmer and cook marmalade, stirring frequently, until peels are translucent, jam thickens and turns amber, and temperature registers 212º-214º on a candy thermometer, about 40 minutes.

Remove pot from heat. Discard seeds and spoon hot marmalade into 2 sterilized half-pint jars. Let cool, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

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  • Thalia @ butter and brioche January 15, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    I never have made my own marmalade before so I definitely need to try out this recipe. It looks so citrus-y but sweet and delicious too… the shine is also just incredible!

    • Sandra January 19, 2015 at 1:42 pm

      It’s so easy it’s the perfect starter one, enjoy! 🙂

  • Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul January 15, 2015 at 10:18 pm

    Oh wow, this sounds super delicious! I’ve been looking for a great grapefruit spread recipe. I’ve found it 🙂

    • Sandra January 19, 2015 at 1:44 pm

      Thanks Jenné, this one’s a keeper indeed!

  • Mia January 19, 2015 at 1:03 pm

    Thank you for this! I remember seeing a small-batch grapefruit marmalade recipe in Saveur a long time ago. My grapefruit tree is ready to give up the goods so your recipe is perfect.

    • Sandra January 19, 2015 at 1:47 pm

      That’s what I call very good timing 😉 Digging up old Saveur recipes always turn up something scrumptious…

  • Anjana January 23, 2015 at 1:08 am

    Ooh…I can’t believe this recipe is as simple as that. It’s perfect for all those juicy grapefruit this time of year!

  • Mia February 21, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    Hi Sandra, I’ve made this multiple times and my husband loves it! The second time I doubled the recipe and it was more difficult to get the marmalade to gel. I think the key is to make a very small batch, and watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. We made marmalade with the last three grapefruits on our tree. So great. Thank you from Los Angeles.

    • Sandra February 21, 2015 at 4:23 pm

      Hi Mia,

      So good to hear it was a success! I never tried doubling it myself, one recipe makes plenty for my own use (well for about 2 weeks!) but very jealous you have your very own grapefruits! Thanks for sharing!