Everyone has heard about the benefits of marmalade today. Any young lady knows that these sweets contain little fat, which means that in small quantities they do not harm the figure. Pectin and agar agar, which are part of marmalade, are good for health. It is only a pity that the dyes and flavors used in the manufacture of confectionery products nullify everything. But this tasty, healthy delicacy can be prepared at home. Leafing through my grandmother’s book “Housekeeping”, I found some tips on how to make marmalade. I especially liked the recipe for vegetables. Not so long ago on sale I came across rhubarb marmalade, the price of which was about nine hundred rubles per kilogram. The product was presented as "super-healthy" and "super-diet." In a comparative analysis, my family unanimously admitted that my vegetable marmalade, the recipe of which I borrowed from a book on home economics, tastes no worse.
Vegetable marmalade
Thickeners are not used in the preparation of this marmalade. It consists of only sugar and vegetable (fruit, berry) puree. Marmalade is boiled from pumpkins, beets, carrots, melons, rhubarb, physalis. The initial process is not much different from cooking ordinary jam. Diced vegetables are covered with sugar and left for a while to give juice. Then add the remaining sugar, add water and cook the vegetables until completely softened. Then we wipe the vegetables through a sieve and leave to evaporate over low heat. At the end of cooking, the mass should easily lag behind the bottom of the dishes. Put the prepared marmalade on a baking sheet moistened with water and dry it in the air. Then cut into cubes and roll in icing sugar.
To make marmalade you will need 1.5 kg of granulated sugar and 500 ml of water per 1 kg of vegetables. Rhubarb for marmalade is selected only young, with unrooted stems. You can tint the finished marmalade with blackcurrant juice. To do this, simply replace some rhubarb with berries.
A little citric acid is added to the beet or pumpkin marmalade so that the taste is not so fresh.
As you can see, this is a completely natural marmalade, the recipe contains only sugar and fruits - vegetables. By the way, in Russia, they have long been making pastille and marmalades for honey, since sugar was expensive and not every family could afford.
Apple marmalade. Healthy sweets recipe
To make homemade apple marmalade, you will need a kilogram of apples, 100 g of granulated sugar, 2 l. Art. potato starch and 20 g of gelatin.
To begin with, cut apples, fill with sugar and simmer in a saucepan with a thick bottom, adding a little water. Then we wipe the mixture through a sieve so that a homogeneous mass is obtained. We dilute starch in a small amount of water, dissolve gelatin in warm water and pour the thickeners into applesauce. We give the mixture to boil, remove from heat and pour into a silicone mold. Cool for several hours in the refrigerator. To give the finished marmalade a brighter color will help the juice of beets or black currants, which must be added at the end of cooking.
Young children can also offer such marmalade. Its recipe does not contain flavorings and colors, so such sweets will not harm kids.
Fruit marmalade
This recipe is a recipe for making marmalade suitable for any fruit: pears, apples, oranges, tangerines, quinces, kiwi. If you want to get an unusual taste, try combining two tastes in the finished marmalade. A great duet will be melon and orange, apple and kiwi. You can also add any berries. The sweeter the starting product, the less sugar will be needed.
One kilogram of fruit will require 1.2 - 1.5 kg of granulated sugar. Cut the fruit into slices and grind it in mashed potatoes using a blender. Then add half the sugar to the fruit mass and cook over low heat in a wide bowl. A copper or aluminum basin or pan is best suited for this purpose. As the sugar dissolves, add the remaining and cook until the mass becomes plastic. Then remove the marmalade from the heat, let it cool slightly and put it on parchment. Dry marmalade in air at ordinary temperature. We store in jars with a ground lid.
Bon Appetit!