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SFPFS Tasting SIG Dips Into a Sticky Subject:
Marmalade by Rita Held www.FoodandWinePros.com  Who
would have thought so many marmalades could come from a simple citrus
fruit, the orange? SIG participants discovered the breadth and depth of
marmalade. We sampled large-batch commercial marmalades as well as
artisan products. We tasted marmalades made from Seville oranges
(traditional for orange marmalade), blood oranges, mandarins, Rangpur
lime, calamondins, and Meyer lemons—even one with a hint of rosemary!Many of us were most familiar with British or Scottish-style marmalade. This tangy-sweet, sometimes bitter fruit preserve has been around for centuries throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, and was probably first made using quince. The Seville orange is the standard for marmalade in Europe, but Spanish and Sicilian blood oranges, as well as other types of citrus, produce distinct marmalades too—both in color and flavor. Marmalade ingredients vary. The simplest ones with the fewest ingredients appealed to most tasters—those with just oranges, sugar, and sometimes pectin. Of those least preferred, high fructose corn syrup or glucose syrup often topped the ingredient list. The marmalades were thick and full of chunky rind as one might expect, with a few exceptions noted below. The following brands won the most votes: June Taylor Seville Orange Marmalade – Artisan produced in Berkeley; a tangy marmalade with thinner consistency. $12.00/8 oz. (11 votes) Insolite & Tradition “Orange Jam”– A French artisan jam available at Market Hall made with French oranges and sugar, this one had a thinner consistency and a hint of honey flavor, though honey was not listed among the ingredients. $9.90/13 oz. (8 votes) Kitchen Gardens - A tad bitter, with large chunks of peel, appealing to many marmalade fans. $10.50/12 oz. (6 votes) June Taylor kindly joined us at the tasting and explained the nuances of marmalade. She brought with her several products, which we all loved: Three-Fruit Marmalade (orange, grapefruit, and lemon), Meyer Lemon infused with rosemary, Page Mandarin, and Blood Orange Marmalade, as well as fruit peels of Rangpur lime and blood orange candied in syrup. June’s preserves are on the tangy side and full of fresh fruit flavor. She hand cuts her fruit and makes her own pectin using the pith and seeds. No commercial pectin is added. Below are the other brands we tasted. Some of us liked the large-batch marmalades we’ve used for years, not only because of their familiar taste, but because their flavor and consistency works well in recipes. Others were surprised by their elevated sweetness and absence of true fruit flavor after tasting some of the other marmalades. Brand: Price / Size Tasting Notes Smuckers: $3.99/18 oz Classic American-style, lacks flavor compared to others King Kelly: $3.29/18 oz California made, classic American-style, very sweet Chambord: $3.99/11.5 oz French, very thick and dark, almost gummy
Cross & Blackwell: $3.79/12 oz |
List of Recent Events August 2008 Coffee Cupping June 2008 Honey Tasting SIG June 2008 Food Writing Book Club SIG June 2008 Digs Bistro June 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Showdown May 2008 A Visit to Careme 350 May 2008 Cooking Teachers SIG May 2008 San Mateo Members Meet May 2008 South Bay Members Connect April 2008 Wine SIG takes a Beaujolais Cruise April 2008 Demystifying the Food/Wine Dilemma March 2008 Pasta tasting
March 2008
February 2008
June 2007
June 2007
January 2007
January 2006
September 19, 2005
June 22, 2005
May 25, 2005
May 18. 2005
April 28, 2005
February 15, 2005
October 22, 2004
July 12, 2004
May 17, 2004 |
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