Easy, homemade orange jam ("apelsinmarmelad")

Perfect this time of the year, British-Swedish at its best for sure and much easier than you expect. 

  • What you need for your homemade "apelsinmarmelad" are: 2 big Sevilla oranges, white balsamic vinegar, water and jam sugar ("syltsocker") with pectin.

  • My breakfast food of choice when growing up in Sweden in the 1970s consisted of two slices of toasted, nearly burned bread, thick slices of mild cheese (my favorite was called ”Baronost,” Baron cheese), topped off with what was referred to as ”British orange marmalade."

  • Cut the oranges.

  • This marmalade came in round, navy boxes adorned with Union Jack. The taste was sort of bitter, the supposed Britishness of it, and it married the taste of the mild cheese just perfectly, I thought. They no longer sell my favorite brand of ”British” orange marmalade in stores in Sweden, so I decided to try to make my own version, using a Sevilla orange, which is a bit more bitter than regular oranges.

  • Squeeze some of the orange juice (but not all) into a pot.

  • This easy recipe will fill up a small glass jar (which should be clean and lidded).

  • Finely chop the oranges, including the peel.

  • Orange Jam with a British (Swedish?) twist:

  • Add water to the pot with the fruit juice and the finely chopped oranges.

  • You will need
    2 big Sevilla oranges
    1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
    6 ounces water
    1 cup jam sugar with pectin

  • Boil the concoction so the fruit (and the rind) soften. Then add the white balsamic vinegar and the jam sugar and let boil for another five minutes.

  • Instruction: (Easier yet: simply follow the photographs on the right)

  • You've got jam! Pour into clean (and pretty, if you want to give as gifts) glass containers, let cool and then store in the fridge. This jam, to me, had the perfect "bitter" yet sweet taste. Perfect for scones.

  • Wash the oranges, divide them and squeeze out a bit of the juice in a pot.

  • Cut and chop the rest (including the peel) finely. Remove seeds.

  • Bring the fruit juice to a boil along with water and the chopped oranges. Stir.

  • Add the vinegar and let boil, while stirring, for 5 minutes.

  • Remove from heat and remove any foam, if necessary.

  • Pour the marmalade into the jar. Let cool and keep in your fridge.