Mandarin Marmalade
Yesterday we spent the day looking around Alicante, had a bus ride (both frequent and on time), went into El Corte Ingles (not sure about the spelling on that one) and it was quite an experience, had a juice in the cafe (mango – lots of vitamins and minerals), then went on the tram to Benidorm, very cheap as it was only 5 euros 40 cents return from Alicante. This gave us a chance to look at other areas as we travelled through. Benidorm has changed a lot since my last visit in 1984. Suppose all places change over time, improved though, not just changed.
We are going to visit the UK in June to visit family and friends, the first visit since February 2007 and I am looking forward to it. We are told that things are much more expensive than when we left in 2007, but that goes for Spain as well. When we arrived the petrol was just under 90 cents for a litre, now it is closing on the 1 euro 30 cents. Food is much cheaper than in the UK, though again prices have increased since our arrival. I find buying from the small Spanish supermarket and going to markets to be the cheaper option, though Mercadona is a good place to do a large shop. In our local one they sell good quality meat, fruit and vegetales. I also like Carrefour.
I am really into toast (Spanish style). I like it with a little olive oil and lightly sprinkled with salt, though as a general rule I don´t add salt to anything. I also like it with butter and marmalade, I love Mandarin oranges and thought it would be a good idea to make some marmalade as they are quite cheap here in Spain.
I like it, try it and see if you do.
1/2 kg unwaxed mandarin oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
5 cups cold water
4 cups warmed jam sugar
You will need 2 ounces of rind – remove the rind using a very sharp knife, scrape off any pith and place on a square of muslin
Halve the mandarin oranges – squeeze out the juice and pour into a pan, put the pips from the mandarin and lemon onto the muslin square and tie loosely, suspend from the jam pan handle
Add the lemon juice and water to the pan
Bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours, remove the muslin bag after 90 minutes and discard
Strain through a jelly bag, return to the pan and add the sugar
Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached (use the cold plate method)
Remove from the heat, leave to cool for 5 minutes then remove any impurities, ie scum
Pour into hot sterilized jars, place the waxed discs on top and cover with screw top lids when cold
Label with contents and date made
Jaffa Tart
Pastry
8 oz self-raising flour, Pinch salt, 1 tsp unrefined caster sugar, 3 oz very cold unsalted butter, grated, 1 tsp mandarin or orange zest, cold orange juice – egg white to brush over pastry case
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl, rub in the butter using fingertips only until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, stir in the zest and a little orange juice to bring the mixture together, form into a disc, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate
Sponge
2 eggs and their weight in – self-raising flour, butter (softened) and caster sugar, 1 tsp orange juice, 1 rounded tsp baking powder
Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into the bowl of a food mixer, add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully combined. The mixture should drop easily off a spoon, if too stiff add a little more orange juice
To finish:
Set oven to 160 degrees Celsius
Roll out the pastry and line a shallow 9″ spring-form cake – prick base with a fork, chill for 20 minutes, line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans then cook for 20 minutes or until the pastry is a pale golden colour, remove the paper and beans, brush the inside of the pastry case with a little egg white and cook for a further 2 minutes, leave to cool slightly
Spread 2 heaped tbsp of Mandarin Marmalade in an even layer over the base of the pastry case, carefully spoon the sponge over the marmalade and spread level, bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and set
Leave to go completely cold
Meanwhile make the chocolate ganache
Chocolate ganache
6 oz grated dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), 6 fl oz single cream, finely pared rind from 1 medium unwaxed orange
Put the orange and single cream into a saucepan over a low heat, gently warm until bubbles appear around the edge of the pan, strain through a sieve set over a bowl, tip chocolate into the cream and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine then leave to cool for about 20 minutes
Spread over the sponge, leave to set
The idea for this “tart” was born out of my love for the humble Jaffa Cake with a cup of tea – I just love them, but it has to be the original manufacturer not the cheap imitations! I can’t get them in Spain and I haven’t the faintist idea how to go about making them – though I could import some. The results don’t taste a bit like the original Jaffa cake, but … well its okay. If anyone manages to “refine” and/or “improve” the recipe, let me know.
There is just one point I would make, this is my own recipe and whilst I have no objection to people using it, that´s why it´s on the web, I do object most strongly to so called professional chefs pinching my recipe and using it as their own. Whilst we all look to other people´s recipes and then change them to suit our taste, we only claim original recipes as our own.
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