Recipe Lime Marmalade

[The Late Night Gourmet]

This might not look pretty, but it tastes great. There's a definite tartness from the limes, but it's tempered by the sugar. I will have to make this again, implementing what I learned. But, let's get on with the recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound limes
3 cups water
3 1/2 cups sugar

Directions

1. Wash limes. Cut the ends off the limes, preferably on a green cutting board using a green knife.

2. Cut limes thinly. I used a mandoline; some of the softer limes didn't cut as well, so I needed to use the knife again. I also used a cut-proof glove so I could watch the NCAA basketball tournament while doing this and not have to worry about ending up in the emergency room.

3. Remove any seeds and discard. Dice limes, preserving as much of the juices as possible.

NOTE: here's where things went south. None of the Lime Marmalade recipes I read mentioned cutting the limes into small pieces. But, if you're making a marmalade, you want only shreds, not big chunks, right? I didn't realize this until much later. My way around it worked, but resulted in a cloudy look.

4. Place limes and any juices in a pot. Add 3 cups of water, using some to rinse out the bowl you shredded the limes into so you get as much of the juices as possible.

5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Heat for about 30 minutes, or until the peels are soft.

NOTE: Here's that work-around I talked about. I threw everything into the blender on low for about 15 seconds to break up all the big pieces. The mix immediately turned cloudy. I assume this is because of the pith from the limes. You don't need to do this step if you cut the limes in small enough pieces before the boil.

6. Add sugar to lime mixture. Bring again to a boil, then lower again to medium-low. Heat for 20-30 minutes or until the temperature reaches 220° F (105° C), measured by a candy thermometer.

NOTE: as the last lesson in this learning experience, the mixture never got above 215° F at the 30 minute mark, but I cooked it for another 15 minutes, expecting it to rise. The final consistency is thick, but spreadable. And, like I said at the top, it's very tasty.

7. Strain out white clumps (pith) using a skimmer (not a sieve...the marmalade needs to get through, and a sieve's holes are too small).

8. Store in glass mason jars: add hot water to jars first so the heat of the marmalade doesn't crack the glass, then pour out the water and add the marmalade.

 

[Morning Glory]

I'll bet this is really tasty! And I think you could use it in savoury recipes as well as sweet...

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I'll bet this is really tasty! And I think you could use it in savoury recipes as well as sweet...

Interestingly, when I got to step 6, I thought about what seemed to be a crazy amount of sugar. So, I tried whisking in 2 cups of sugar and tasting: it was good, but there was still a fair amount of bitterness (likely a combo of pith + peel). Adding the rest of the sugar smoothed out the bitterness while not being overly sweet. I most certainly do have some savory ideas for this recipe: it's not the last time it's seen in this challenge, I can tell you that much.

 

[buckytom]

This looks really good. We prefer limes over lemons in my house.

I wonder how much less sugar you'd need if you used real Key Limes.

Med and Craigsy would know better.