Marmellata di Agrumi con Miele begins with Sicily’s most iconic ingredient: citrus. Sicily is the land of citrus, and its fragrant lemons, oranges, tangellos, and Seville oranges have shaped both the savoury and sweet traditions of the island.
I love using honey and often replace sugar with it in jams and desserts. I also enjoy adding a splash of liqueur—Grand Marnier or Cointreau—to deepen the citrus notes. I frequently use good, not-too-sweet jams as a base for dessert sauces to accompany cakes, crêpes, fruit salads, and puddings. This time, however, I wanted a strong tasting, bright, citrus jam to use in an ancient Sicilian dessert.
And there it is:
Ingredients
4 citrus fruits (I used 1 lemon, 1 Seville orange, 1 tangello, 1 orange)
2 cups water
½–¾ cup honey (to taste)
Method
Remove some peel from the tangello and slice it very thinly.
Peel all citrus, removing and discarding the white pith.
Roughly chop the fruit and discard all seeds—they will make the jam bitter.
Place the fruit pulp and water in a saucepan. Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the honey and boil uncovered, without stirring, for about 20 minutes or until the mixture reaches a semisolid set.
If you wish to add liqueur, stir in 1–2 tablespoons near the end of cooking.
**For a dessert sauce rather than a jam, loosen the mixture with a little extra liqueur.
LEMON MARMALADE TO USE IN SICILIAN PASTRIES. Conserva/ Marmellata di Limone (o di Cedro).