Orange jam

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   To make orange jam you'll need a minimal set of very accessible ingredients: the oranges themselves, a lemon, and granulated sugar. You definitely want juicy, sweet, ripe, fleshy fruit. Dry fruit with lots of thick membranes and partitions won't work for this version of jam, since making it calls for the flesh itself!

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the oranges and lemon thoroughly. Some people use baking soda or a moderately stiff brush to clean the fruit skins better. Using a zester or an ordinary fine grater, remove the zest (the juicy colored part of the skin, without the white pith) from the oranges and lemon.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the thick white pith off the peeled fruit. Now for the most tedious — and meditative — part: separating the flesh from the membranes. There's plenty of information online on the easiest, most efficient way to do this. Usually the segmented citrus flesh is used in various salads, but we'll be making jam from it.

4. Step 4:

   

   Sprinkle sugar over the juicy flesh you've worked so hard for, along with the orange and lemon juice released during segmenting, stir, and let it stand a while. The weight of the sugar should equal the weight of the citrus flesh!

5. Step 5:

   

   Cook the orange jam over low heat, once it comes to a boil, until it reaches the thickness you want. A drop of jam placed on a dry saucer shouldn't run quickly — it should be viscous and flow slowly.

6. Step 6:

   

   Cool the finished jam and transfer it to a dry container.

7. Step 7:

   

   Serve the fragrant orange jam as a dessert on its own, or alongside homemade crepes, fritters, pancakes, cookies...