My mom has been abroad for a few months helping care for my grandmother so I was not able to see her this mother's day. Growing up, she always used to make my brother and I tea, and good, crunchy toast with marmalade. While leafing through Ina's Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook, I saw this recipe and immediately added it to my list. 

I've always wanted to make homemade marmalade. Most store-bought kinds tend to be too sweet for my liking and I liked the idea of being able to control the sugar. Also, Ina says it's her absolute favorite and that is more than good enough for me!

The ingredient list is small - 4 oranges, 2 lemons, and sugar. Preparing the ingredients is pretty simple and once that's done, it needs to sit in the pot overnight and then simmer away until it's done. I used a mandolin to slice the oranges and it made that process really easy.

Make sure to use a 6 - 8 qt pot. I started with a smaller one and had to transfer to a larger one. I used our Candy Thermometer to measure the temperature and our Stainless Steel Spoon to skim off the foam that forms on top while cooking. When it was done, I simply spooned the final product into glass jars. Voila!

Store-bought jams and marmalades are just fine and I will continue to buy my favorite varieties, however, I enjoyed making this recipe and especially loved how warm and sweet it made the house smell. My favorite way to eat it is on buttered toast but I also warmed some up in a small dish and drizzled it over vanilla ice cream. So Good!

The jarred marmalade can be stored in the pantry for up to a year so in a few months, when my mom is back in the states, I look forward to sitting down with her for tea and marmalade toast. ❤️  Cindy-

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Ann's Orange Marmalade

Ingredients

4 large seedless oranges
2 lemons
8 cups sugar

Directions

Cut the oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very thin half-moon slices. (If you have a mandoline, this will be quite fast.) Discard any seeds. Place the sliced fruit and their juices into a stainless-steel pot. Add 8 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer. If you want to be doubly sure it's ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate it until it's cool but not cold. If it's firm -- neither runny nor too hard -- it's done. It will be a golden orange color. (If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it and if it's too hard, add more water.)

Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars; wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids. Store in the pantry for up to a year.

Copyright 2006, Barefoot Contessa At Home by Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved