Citrus, Apple and Tea Jam, Plus Satsuma Marmalade

Citrus, Apple and Tea Jam & Satsuma Marmalade

I had a great Valentines Day weekend. I hope you did too. Friday, we spent a great day in San Francisco viewing antiquarian books and eating fine food. Saturday, I went to a fabulous party thrown by a childhood friend with whom I'm renewing a friendship. Sunday, I boiled Satsumas!

I've been wanting to make Satsuma marmalade for some time. I nearly missed their short season. I was able to purchase 5 lbs. of the "End of Season Uglies" at 99 Cents per pound at Newcastle Produce.
I used my basic orange marmalade recipe, with some adjustments. The skin is very thin and loose and I was unable to use my tool to strip the zest. Instead, I cut the top and bottom ends off and peeled the skin away in one long piece. I did not cut supremes from the mandarins, but just chopped them with their membranes attached. I then cut the peel into very thin strips. I used 1 and 1/2 cups of peel strips and boiled for 30 minutes in 6 cups of water. After 30 minutes, the softened peel and 4 cups of steeped liquid remain. I boiled the softened peel, the peel liquid and cut up segments with 1/4 cup lemon juice and 6 cups of sugar. Boil until it reaches the gel stage and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
The flavor and texture are similar to my orange marmalade, but these Satsuma Mandarins are tangy in a special way. Their flavor is truly unique.
My experiment for the day was this Citrus, Apple and Tea Jam. I used some of the Satsumas and a couple of tangelos I need to use up. The sliced peel you see comes from the Satsumas. I used this recipe as a basis, but of course, adjusted it for my purposes. I used a very good Earl Grey Tea with Lavender. The floral notes really came through. A few of the tea leaves escaped me when I did the straining, so I decided to add about a teaspoon back into the jam so that it would look like I meant to do it. I think the tea leaves tell the story of the flavor. I'm excited about using teas and spices to flavor my projects. I'm very pleased with this first attempt.

Citrus, Apple and Tea Jam

2 1/2 lbs. Apples (I used Gala)

(3 1/2 cups water for cooking apples)

1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 Cups freshly squeezed citrus juice (I used Satsuma and Tangelo Juice)

2 large Satsuma Mandarins or oranges

(1 cup water for simmering Satsumas)

5 cups, plus 1 cup sugar

4 heaping tbsp. best quality Earl Grey Tea

(1 cup water to steep tea)

Prepare jars and boiling water bath. Place some saucers in the freezer.

Wash and quarter apples. Do not remove cores or seeds. Place in a large pot with 3 1/2 cups water and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the apples are tender and fall apart - about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, quarter and thinly slice the Satsumas or oranges. Place in a medium sauce pot with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until translucent - about 30 minutes.

Place the cooked apples in a strainer over a bowl and drain. Measure 2 cups apple juice.

Place the translucent Satsumas and their liquid, the citrus juice, the apple juice, the 2 tbsp. of lemon juice and 5 cups of sugar to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Bring up to the gel stage. (This should be 222 degrees, but is 224 on my thermometer.) This can take 40 minutes or more. Meanwhile bring a kettle to a boil and steep the tea in 1 cup of hot water for 3-5 minutes. Strain. When the gel stage is reached, add the tea and return to a boil. It will take some time for the mixture to return to the gel point. When it gets close, begin testing by placing a teaspoon of the jam on a frozen saucer. Allow it to cool, then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles, it is ready.

Remove from heat and stir for a few minutes. This will help the peel and any tea leaves to be evenly distributed. Carefully ladle into prepared jars. Wipe lids with a clean moist cloth and cover with lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars and additional 5 minutes. Carefully remove to a towel lined tray. Allow to stand over night before labeling for storage.

Makes 3 12 oz. jars.

Update 12/19/11 - I made the Citrus, Apple and Tea Jam again last night. It came out beautifully! I wanted to comment that I used Granny Smith apples this time around and got a much better set than I did with the Gala apples. I also used Earl Grey Tea with Lavender from Tea Cozy, a fabulous local tea shop. (Do visit them!) The floral fragrance of the bergamot and lavender is particularly special in this jam.