CookEat Recipe
Orange Preserve with Rum
Thin strips of whole orange cooked with lemon and sugar, with rum added after cooling to lukewarm.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 12 oranges, preferably unwaxed, about 2.4 kg before preparation; 1 lemon, preferably unwaxed; Caster sugar equal to the weight of the soaked, sliced, deseeded oranges; Water equal to half that prepared-orange weight, plus water for soaking; 4 tablespoons rum.
Step 2
Scrub and rinse the oranges. Prick their skins all over with a fork and place in a clean food-safe container with cold water to cover. Cover and refrigerate at 4°C or colder for 3 days, changing to fresh cold water morning and evening. Keep refrigerated between changes.
Step 3
On the fourth day drain, halve the oranges and cut each half into strips about 5 mm thick, retaining the peel and removing seeds. Weigh these prepared oranges. For each 1 kg use 1 kg caster sugar and 500 ml water. Separately halve and slice the lemon just as thinly, removing its seeds.
Step 4
Put the oranges and their measured cooking water in a wide nonreactive pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sliced lemon, then immediately add the sugar. Stir continuously until a strong boil resumes and the sugar has dissolved, scraping the bottom to prevent sticking.
Step 5
Continue boiling, adjusting the heat and stirring frequently, for about 30–60 minutes until the peel is tender and a small sample cooled on a plate moves slowly. Remove promptly at this point. Let cool only to lukewarm, then stir in all 4 tablespoons rum before packing. The alcohol is added after cooking and remains in the preserve.
Step 6
Transfer to clean small heatproof containers, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at 4°C or colder and use within 3 days, or freeze in suitable small containers with expansion space. Thaw in the refrigerator. These historical fruit-and-sugar proportions have not been validated for shelf-stable canning; do not store this preparation at room temperature. Discard the entire container if mould, fermentation or other spoilage appears.
Step 7
For the source’s lemon-free alternative, omit the lemon entirely. Keep the same prepared-orange weight, sugar and water ratios, 10-minute initial orange cooking, subsequent sugar cooking and lukewarm addition of 4 tablespoons rum. Use the same refrigerated or frozen storage.
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