FROM THE OUTSIDE, CARA CARA ORANGES LOOK like any other orange. However, when you slice into them, the flesh is a brilliant pink and they smell ever so slightly of cranberries. Combined with ginger juice, they make a gorgeous marmalade that has just a touch of gingery sharpness upon the initial taste.
4 pounds/1.8 kg Cara Cara oranges (about 8 or 9)
6 cups/1.2 kg granulated sugar
2 teaspoons powdered pectin (optional; see note)
1 cup/240 ml ginger juice (see page 31)
¼ cup/60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Wash the fruit in warm, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Using a serrated-edge vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the fruit. Stack the zest strips in piles and chop into fine confetti. Combine the zest in a pot with 2 quarts/2 liters water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until zest ribbons are tender.
While the zest cooks, “supreme” the fruit by cutting the white pith away from the fruit and cutting the fruit into segments between the membranes. Collect the fruit and any juices in a large measuring cup.
Drain the zest in a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the cooking liquid.
Prepare a boiling water bath, 3 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars, and 1 half-pint/250 ml jar according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
In a large pot, combine the drained zest, segmented fruit, 4 cups/960 ml of the reserved cooking liquid, the sugar (if you’re using the powdered pectin, whisk it into the sugar before adding it to the fruit), and 1 cup/240 ml ginger juice.
Bring to a boil and cook vigorously until the mixture reaches 220°F/105°C (this takes between 30 and 40 minutes). Stir regularly as it cooks to prevent scorching.
When the marmalade reaches 220°F/105°C and sustains that temperature for 1 minute (even after stirring), remove the pot from the heat. Test the set of the marmalade using the saucer test described on page 77. If it doesn’t pass, return the pot to the heat and cook for an additional 5 minutes before repeating the test. Once it seems to be setting to your satisfaction, remove the pot from the heat and stir for 1 minute, to help the zest bits become evenly distributed throughout the preserve.
Ladle the marmalade into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see page 11).
Note: I call for an optional 2 teaspoons of pectin in this recipe. Typically you don’t need to include it in marmalade because the seeds contain so much pectin. However, Cara Cara oranges are a nearly seedless hybrid, so we can’t depend on them for a pectin boost. You can achieve a loose set just by cooking this marmalade to 220°F/105°C. For a firmer marmalade, additional pectin is required.