Marmalade is a dessert that appeared when a person learned to harvest fruits for the future by boiling them. In the confectionery practice, it is customary to use products that contain pectin for its preparation. This is a natural gelling substance, which allows you to keep in shape after cooling. What they sell in the store today is a mixture of gelatin and dyes. Therefore, if you want to please your family with a natural dessert, you will have to cook marmalade at home.
Components
Despite the apparent complexity, this is quite within the power of every housewife. After all, you make jam and jams, which turn out quite thick and are reluctant to leave the bank after solidification. Marmalade at home is made on the same principle.
For cooking, you need pureed fruits with sugar. This puree should be wiped several times through a sieve with small holes, which allows you to get the perfect consistency, without lumps. The consistency of the future product determines the amount of sugar. Soft marmalade at home is prepared with the addition of 300 g of granulated sugar per kilogram. If you want a thick dessert, then the proportion is 1/1.
What kind of fruit can I take
If you do not want to use an additional thickener, it is best to choose fruits that are high in pectin. These are apples, apricots, quinces. Marmalade made from them is stored very well at home, has an excellent taste and aroma of fresh fruits. For preparation, only mature, even overripe fruits are used. Feel free to add gooseberries, currants, you get even more dense jelly.
If sugar is forbidden for you, then you can add honey, fructose or stevia. The taste and price of the finished product varies, but marmalade still turns out to be very good and useful.
Natural thickeners
And how to make marmalade at home from berries or fruits that do not contain pectin? For example, from raspberries? There are two options. Either make a mix by adding red currants to it, or just buy a bag with one of the gelling substances. The choice today is very large, while there is no chemistry, everything is only natural:
- Pectin. This is an extract of their cake and fruit peel, which is sold today in any store.
- Agar agar. A natural thickener derived from seaweed.
- Gelatin - extract from veins and bones.
General rules
Pre-cleaned and chopped fruits are boiled in water to give them the appropriate consistency. Any marmalade recipe at home begins with mashed potatoes. To do this, apples can be baked and wiped through a sieve. The main thing is to get a homogeneous mass.
After that, you can start cooking dessert. Simple marmalade at home can be prepared by observing this rule. The shorter the cooking time, the faster the evaporation of moisture and the better the product. Prepare it in a wide bowl with a thick bottom and low sides. It is necessary to constantly stir the mashed potatoes during cooking. Readiness can be judged by the following signs:
- Put a little on a cold dish. If the drop does not spread, then you can turn it off.
- If stirring the fruit puree, you see that the trace of the spoon does not spread, then it is ready.
But many housewives make a mistake. They pour the mass into a jar and simply leave it at room temperature. In this case, it turns out fruit jelly, not quite what we need. So how to make marmalade at home not only natural, but also identical to the present in consistency?
The hot product is packed in jars and spun. After that, they are made up in a basin with water and gradually cooled. So the correct dense consistency is formed.
Alternative way
This is a great option for making dessert, but in a jar it will still look like regular jam. Therefore, there are other ways you can take note:
- transfer the finished mass in an even layer to a flat dish;
- use cookie cutters;
- You can not boil the fruit puree, but leave it to dry in the air, laying it out in a thin layer;
- place on a baking sheet and dry in the oven for one and a half hours at a temperature of 50 degrees.
Easiest recipe
Marmalade at home can be prepared on the basis of fruit juices, both home and store. This option is very economical in time, a busy housewife will definitely appreciate it. So you will need:
- juice - 1 liter;
- gelatin - 5 tablespoons;
- sugar - 2 tablespoons.
The amount of sugar does not play a big role here, because boiling will not occur. Gelatin acts as a thickener. Therefore, focus only on your own taste.
- Gelatin is required to pour a glass of juice and leave for 10 minutes.
- After that, we heat the rest of the liquid a little and add sugar.
- Dissolve gelatin in a water bath.
- Pour a slightly cooled mass onto a baking sheet and wait for complete solidification. After that, cut the mass into cubes and roll in sugar.
With gelatin, marmalade at home is prepared in a matter of minutes, but it turns out tasty and healthy.
The universal recipe for marmalade
At home, you can use any fruit and berries, as well as combine them with each other. The result is a tasty and healthy treat. The ingredients are as follows:
- puree from berries or fruits - 500 g;
- sugar - 400 g;
- pectin - 12 g (if apples are used, you can omit);
- lemon juice - 70 g;
- vanillin, lemon peel.
Put the fruit puree in a pan with a thick bottom and bring it to a boil. After that, add a mixture of pectin and sugar and boil for another 5 minutes. This mixture needs to be boiled to medium density. Do not forget to constantly stir, the taste of burning in marmalade is completely useless.
Lemon and zest juice, vanilla and other aromatic spices are added to the finished mixture. Now you need to pour the finished mass into the prepared form. So far - it's still fruit jelly. It is required to wrap it with a film and keep it in the cold for two days. After that, the marmalade is turned over and left for another two days. After this, the finished product must be cut into pieces and roll in sugar. It turns out an excellent dessert, which can be given to children without fear.
Instead of a conclusion
Now you know how to make marmalade at home. This is completely uncomplicated, and you can try treating your family to such a treat. By the way, for cooking, you can use not only fruit or berry puree. Pumpkin is also suitable for such purposes. Pre-cooked and ground to a puree state, it will be an excellent base. It can be supplemented with citruses, apples, plums, any other product of your choice. After such experiments, you definitely will not want to buy marmalade in the store, because it does not contain anything but chemical flavors and dyes.