Mandarin Marmalade - Toast Topper #93

Mandarin Marmalade is laced with homemade Limoncello and is bright, citrusy and as perfect on toast as spread on roasted meats.

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Happy New Year everyone! I am going to try to post the recipes for things I have cooked (and posted on Instagram) in the past but never made it to the blog because - well, timing. Or laziness. Or both! Now that I'm stuck at home for the forseeable future I'm sure new things will be popping up too, so here's to a productive year in the kitchen and at my desk!

I have to say, I haven't been making nearly the amount of Toast Toppers recently as I have in the past - 2021 was definitely not a great year for me physically so the idea of lugging around all the equipment to can was a bit overwhelming. That said, given mandarins are still quite prevalent in the local stores (and I may be a bit inspired from a recent trip to Orange County) I am definitely making this marmalade again. It is bright, refreshing, and with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The original inspiration for this recipe came from Nigella, and I tweaked it ever so slightly to make a single jar filled with flavour that was both wintry and summery at the same time (is that even possible?).

The jar disappeared quickly of course, since not only was it perfect on toasted sourdough but my mom used it over pork chops and as an ingredient in stir fry as well. Citrus has such a way of working with caramelized flavours that it really isn't hard to imagine it working with other things as well!

Mandarin Marmalade

Makes ~1.5 cups
8 oz mandarin oranges
1/4 cup water
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
6.6 oz superfine sugar
1/4 cup Limoncello
1/2 tbsp vanilla

1. Peel the mandarins and coarsely chop the fruit, setting aside the peels and seeds. Place in a saucepan with the water.
2. Thinly slice the peel into strips about 1/2 inch long and add to the fruit mixture in the saucepan. Add the ginger.
3. Bundle the seeds up in a piece of cheesecloth or muslin (I actually used a teabag for loose leaf tea) and add to the saucepan.
4. Cover and let stand 24 hours.
5. The next day, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 1-2 hours, until the peel is breaks easily when pressed between your fingers. Remove the seed bag.
6. Stir in the sugar and Limoncello and bring to a boil.
7. Boil, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 220F on a candy or instant-read thermometer (I highly recommend the Thermapen ONE for accuracy though a long-probe instant thermometer with a cord like this will work as well). This should take about 20-30 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
9. Pour into a clean jar and place in the fridge to firm up.