THERESA Storey was born in Detroit but raised in Co Clare. Today she lives in rural Co. Limerick and puts her botany degree to good use growing fruit and vegetables as well as managing orchards, gardens and woodlands.
Ingredients (makes 4.5 kg/10 lb)
1 ruby grapefruit
2 medium sweet oranges
4 lemons
3.4 l (6 pints) water
2.7 kg (6 lb) sugar
Method
1. Wash the grapefruit, oranges and lemons. Remove any blemishes from the skin and cut them into quarters. Place in the food processor and process on high speed until the peel is reduced to 6-mm (¼-inch) pieces. If you like bigger peel in your marmalade, don’t process it for so long, and if you like very little peel, process it for longer.
2. Put the processed citrus in a preserving pot with the water, stir well and cook on a high heat, stirring occasionally, until the peel is cooked and smooshes to wee pieces between your fingers. This usually takes an hour.
3. Add the sugar, stir well and cook over a high heat, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade reaches setting point (see p. 196), then remove from the heat. Skim off any seeds and sugar foam.
4. Pour into warm sterilised jars to within 6 mm (¼ inch) of the top, lid and seal.
THERESA'S TIP: I use ruby grapefruit because it adds a great colour, but you can use regular yellow grapefruit.
Scroll down for an easy way to add an Irish twist to Theresa's recipe
To put an Irish twist on your marmalade:
Our Irish whiskey marmalade is very popular at the market, especially in colder weather – I guess whiskey for breakfast makes those cold dreary mornings that wee bit better.
It also won a Bronze Blas na hÉireann Award in 2015.
Prepare the three-fruit marmalade to setting point, then remove from the heat and stir in 60 ml (2 fl. oz) of good Irish whiskey and 1 teaspoon of ground mixed spice.
Pour into jars, lid and seal.
Alternatively, for four-fruit marmalade, add a lime.
Taken from Fruit on the Table by Theresa Storey, published by The O’Brien Press. Available from all good bookshops and from www.obrien.ie
