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Confiture de Citre aux Agrumes

Serves : 4 300-ml jars
Preparation : 1 hour
Cooking : 3 hours
Wait : 3 days

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Day 1: Preparation
    • Cut the watermelon into large slices, and peel each one. Remove the seeds while keeping the flesh intact, using a small spoon to scoop out the seeds.
    • Slice the peeled and seeded watermelon slices using a mandoline.
      Note: As you can see in the photo, I’m wearing a “cut-resistant” glove, which comes in handy when using a mandoline or a grater.
    • Cut the strips into squares and place them in a glass or plastic bowl, an enameled casserole dish, or another non-metallic container. 
    • Add the sugar and mix well.
    • Grate the zest from the oranges and lemons using a coarse grater, so that you end up with small pieces of zest rather than strands. Add the zest to the bowl.
    • Mandarin orange peels are harder to grate because they aren't attached to the flesh. In this case, peel them, scrape off the white pith to remove some of the "ziste", and cut them into small strips.
    • Remove the zest from the oranges and lemons you previously zested.
    • Cut the lemon, orange, and tangerine into segments and remove the seeds. Then
      cut them in half and add them to the bowl.
    • Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Carefully scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife or a small spoon, and add them to the fruit. Save the scraped vanilla beans.
    • Add the star anise and vanilla beans. Stir, cover, and let sit overnight at room temperature.
  • Day 2: Cook over medium heat
    • The next day, pour the mixture into a jam pot and cook uncovered over medium heat for one hour.
      The jam should simmer gently. Reduce the heat if necessary during cooking, and stir regularly to ensure all the sugar dissolves completely and to make sure the jam doesn’t burn. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface, especially at the beginning of cooking.
  • Day 3: Cook over medium heat
    • This time, you’ll cook the jam for half an hour over medium heat, keeping the pot uncovered at all times. Stir regularly so the sugar distributes evenly throughout the pot and the fruit doesn’t stick to the bottom.
      The jam should simmer gently; be careful not to turn the heat up too high, because if the sugar starts to caramelize at the bottom or the fruit sticks, the entire batch of jam will turn brown and develop a bitter taste (I’ve had to throw out an entire pot because of this before)!

  • Day 4: Final cooking over medium-low heat
    • Just a little more effort and you'll be there… hang in there!
      Sterilize your jam jars, the lids if necessary, and your ladle.
      You can do this in boiling water or in the oven .
    • Blend the contents of the pot (lightly). Personally, I like to keep pieces of fruit in the jam, so I don’t blend it too much—or even at all!

      Note: I’m including Etty’s interesting comment here (see comments below): it’s a shame to blend it because in Provence this jam is called “the poor man’s candied fruit”; you enjoy it with the pieces in it or use the candied Mereville cubes to make cakes.

    • Return the casserole dish or pot to low heat, stirring regularly and scraping the sides, keeping the lid off at all times. Keep a close eye on the cooking process, and after 30–45 minutes, when the bubbles become larger, heavier, and more spaced out, and the mixture thickens, it may be time to stop cooking.
      I’m giving you approximate times, but this can vary greatly depending on the amount of jam and the size of the pot(s), the type of fruit you’re using, and your heat setting. Be patient and don’t turn up the heat to speed up the cooking. It’s better to continue cooking the jam gently than to have to throw it away because it’s burned to the bottom!

      The Chef’s Tip
      Here are two methods to tell if your jam is cooked enough:

      • Method 1: You can use a sugar thermometer. In theory, when the temperature reaches 104°C/105°C, the jam is sufficiently cooked and ready to be jarred. In practice, I find the readings to be quite variable, depending on the thermometer’s position in the pot. I tend to rely on the method described below.
      • Method 2: The "cold plate" method. Pour a small amount of jam onto a plate straight from the fridge. The mixture should form a rounded drop, not run, and wrinkle slightly when pressed with a finger. At this stage, the jam is fully cooked, but you can stop earlier depending on your preference. With this method, you can clearly see what to expect in terms of consistency.

  • Pour the jam while it’s still boiling into freshly sterilized jam jars, leaving 5 mm of space at the top.
    Turn them upside down immediately to seal them and keep them sterile. Let them cool, then enjoy!