Jamalade, you say? Yes. Jamalade. Not quite a jam: toothsome slivers of citrus zest and a touch of pithy bitterness from the addition of citrus pectin make this flavorful preserve reminiscent of marmalade. Yet not quite a marmalade either: the majority of the white pith is left out of this recipe, and the fruit is strained from the syrup and added only at the end of the cooking process, yielding visible chunks of ruby red grapefruit in the final product, and a sweetness that is nicely balanced, but not overwhelmed, by the milder bitter flavor. Jamalade: a kinder, gentler marmalade.
Funny thing is, when I developed the guajillo marm, I made it with me in mind: big, bold, bitter, spicy, smack-me-in-the-face-and-call-me-Sally marmalade. It fits the profile of how I like my sweets: as a surprising and balancing counterpoint to spicy, bitter, smoky or salty. When I was working on this honeyed grapefruit preserve, however, I had my husband in mind: Mr. Sweet Tooth, as I call him, who can easily add jam and honey and chocolate sauce to a bowl of chocolate ice cream (my teeth ache just thinking about it). But as it turns out, his favorite is definitely the grapefruit guajillo (which I like, but think could have used a bit more heat) while I find I’m partial to this honeyed version: I love the texture, with the chewy strips of zest and the chunks of whole fruit suspended in a just-barely-set syrup; I love the flavor, sweet, floral from the honey, tangy and just enough bitterness to conjure up “marmalade” in your mouth; and I love the look of it, the jewel-like tones and the crazy-wild texture, like it’s the Muppet-drummer of jams.
All in all, a winner. And since I still have about 10 pounds of citrus sitting on my kitchen counter, a technique I’m sure I’ll return to as Citruspalooza ’12 rolls on (and on. and on….).
Adapted from Grapefruit and Honey in in Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber
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Honeyed Grapefruit Jamalade
INGREDIENTS
- 3 and 1/2 lbs grapefruit (net about 2 and 1/2 lbs), preferably organic (I used Rio Red grapefruit from G & S Groves in Texas)
- 1 and 3/4 lbs (3 and 1/2 cups) sugar (organic evaporated cane juice)
- 1 lemon, preferably organic (zest + juice)
- 2 and 1/2 oz honey
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup citrus pectin (recipe below)
METHODS
- Day 1. Wash grapefruits and lemon, scrubbing the skin well. Using a very sharp knife or vegetable peeler, slice the zest off of each fruit, leaving behind the majority of the white pith. Sliver the zest and transfer to a large preserving pot. Juice the lemon (reserve spent lemon halves) and add the juice to your pot. Remove the white pith from each grapefruit (reserve pith and seeds), slice the fruit into rounds slightly thinner than 1/4-inch, remove seeds, and quarter each round. Add fruit to the pot. Add sugar, honey and 1 cup water, mix well and bring everything to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Make citrus pectin. Add spent lemon halves, grapefruit pith and seeds to a small saucepan. Cover with cool, filtered water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest, covered (either at room temperature or refrigerated) overnight.
- Day 2. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
- Strain the fruit, collecting the syrup into a wide-bottomed preserving pot. Strain citrus peels from the prepared pectin; discard peels and add 1/2 cup liquid pectin to the preserving pot (reserve remaining pectin for another use). Bring the syrup mixture to a boil over high heat and continue to boil, stirring minimally, until syrup reaches the gel stage (220 degrees F on an accurate instant thermometer), about 20 minutes. Add strained fruit + zest. Bring back to a boil and boil hard until mixture returns to the gel stage, about 5 – 10 minutes. Ladle hot jamalade into jars to ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Yields about 5 and 1/2 cups.
OPTIONS
- Mme. Ferber calls for apple jelly in this recipe for a pectin boost. You could also use apple pectin, apple juice, or commercial pectin, although the flavor profile will be more jam and less marmalade without the slight bitterness of the citrus pectin.
- Feel free to adjust the honey flavor to your liking: the 2 and 1/2 oz lends a nicely honeyed taste, without the sometimes cloying sweetness that honey can bring. Taste your preserve just before canning and stir in additional honey if desired.
- After preparing the fruit in Day 1, you can let this sit, refrigerated for a few more days if necessary. The zest/peel will get slightly softer, but other than that, there will be no major difference in your final product.
STORE
Canned, store in a cool, dark spot for up to 1 year.
SEASON
Winter.
localkitchenblog.com 
Oh how delicious this looks! It’s too bad I don’t like grapefruit (love the smell of it, but can’t stand the taste) and my partner is on Coumadin and can’t have it because of a potential interaction with the drug and she loves it!
Wondering if this recipe could be used with other citrus fruit.
Certainly, you could use the basic technique substituting any citrus you like; shoot for a net weight (zest + fruit) of 2 and 1/4 lbs. Sweeter citrus, like oranges, may be too sweet with the addition of honey, so you may want to mix it up, maybe think about Mandarin oranges, meyer lemons, or a lemon-lime combo.
And yes, grapefruit juice can cause issues with a lot of drugs, as it inhibits a key liver enzyme that metabolizes certain drugs; there are also data that suggest the peel can have similar drug-drug interactions. Your partner may also want to avoid ingesting bergamot, as it contains similar compounds that can inhibit liver enzymes.
You are a talented jam cook! Variations on grapefruit jams and marmalades. Wish I lived next door: I’d be a happy guinea pig. “Taste this one.” “Oh, I’d be glad to.”
I can always use more guinea pigs! Although you & my Hubs might come to blows… 🙂
It’s mine. All mine. mwahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa
What a wonderful choice for the bright blue/aqua cloth for these– the pink just pops out of the photographs. Glad I discovered you. It looks like we have the same taste in humor blogs– Iadore the Bloggess and Hyperbole and a Half. I wish she still wrote!
Welcome, Eggton! Thanks so much for the kind words. I, too, hope Allie continues to write; we just have to keep sending our good thoughts her way.
Love your “jamalade” post! With all of the citrus in season…gave me a couple of ideas!!!
Thanks,
Carolyn (www.whenfoodworks.com)
Hey, I was just checking in with all the old can-jammers and I’m so glad to see you are still making great foods and posting! I love punk-domestics, too!
Hi Elle!
Still here.. still canning. Lately obsessed with citrus, as you can see! It’s like I took on the old January Can Jam challenge, all by my lonesome… 🙂
Oh this looks too pretty by far…..and now that you’ve invoked the muppets I may have to cave and try it. Now to think up a witty name…..maybe Muppet Mayham Jam-alade?
Muppet Mayhamalade! 🙂
Reblogged this on Twice Cooked Half Baked and commented:
I love jam and I think that I may be in love with Kaela.
The texture (and its description) sound like such a fun change from the ordinary. Not a huge marm fan, but I might have to try this one.
Ohhhh, I may have to give this a go as well. I just made a grapefruit marmalade that used the entire grapefruit (rind/flesh/pith) and it came out beautifully! But you must like the tart/sour flavor to truly enjoy this jam. Mmmm, and honey sounds like such a delicious combination. Next time!!! ***Maniacal Laugh***
Very yummy looking. Nice blog and beautiful pictures.
I love your post! I call my citrus and fruit blends jamalade because they’re half jam half marmalade. I love the color in the pic of yours, beautiful!
I’m excited I found this I just received a bunch of grapefruit from a neighbor and wanted something a little different from the orange marmalade I made a few months back. Thanks so much for the idea!
Just looking at your wonderful ideas for grapefruit marmalade. I was looking for a recipe to add my secret ingredient to and I think I’m going to try it with you guajillo marm recipe but may add a touch of cayenne power for more heat. I have found that rosemary simple syrup is heavenly with grapefruit and I was trying to think of a way to keep a little of it in the fridge that would last all winter. I have made a delicious grapefruit rosemary sorbet but its gone in a flash and all that effort can’t be repeated frequently without an icecream machine. Jam and marmalade sounds like a perfect longer lasting way to preserve this unusual flavor combo I so love!
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I made this today and it is spectacular. I have never made jam or canned anything and it came out perfectly. I really appreciated the clear instructions. I increased the honey to 4 oz because I had some great local Tennessee honey and I wanted to be sure it’s flavor came through. I am making another batch, but this time I am going to supreme the fruit to take out the tough membranes.
Glad it turned out for you, sstacielt. And yes, supremeing will yield a prettier jam with a smoother texture; but I’m often too lazy to do it! 🙂
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