Blood Orange Marmalade

What are your thoughts on marmalade?

I really am on a bitter kick lately, although wait be fair!  This is only just a little, teensy weensy bit bitter.

The peel is softened overnight, soaked in water and juice to lose most of its bite.

Most of it...not all.

Strawberry jam it ain't, is all I'm saying.

But friends and neighbors if you put this junk on a bakery-fresh English muffin you picked up while jogging (jogging with muffins in hands is an acceptable way to add strength-training to your cardio regime)...

Top it with clotted cream, which is like butter but creamier and without the salt.  Like if whipped cream and butter had a baby...

And then dollop on this bittersweet madness, you will just go to food heaven.

You will, I promise.

Sort out your affairs, because it will be the end.

Blood Orange Marmalade
adapted from the love website Food in Jars

1 lb blood oranges (4-5 medium sized fruits)
2 1/2 cups white sugar

Wash oranges well.  Trim away ends and slice in half.  Core with very sharp knife, removing white inside.  Pluck out any seeds you see.  Keep ends and cores for now.

Halve oranges and slice them very thin, about 1/8 inch thickness.  Keep slices together in shape and cut again, quartering the orange.  You should have little triangles of orange.

Bundle up seeds and cores in cheesecloth and tie tightly.  Place chopped oranges and cheesecloth bundle in a medium bowl.  Cover with about 3 cups of water, chill overnight.

Discard cheesecloth bundle.  Combine remaining fruit and water with white sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring marmalade mix to a simmer and cook until reduced by more than half and sugar thermometer reads 220.  When it is finished, pour into prepared jars.  Wipe rims and put on lids, turning them to 'fingertip tightness'.

Submerge jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes,*  Leave to dry and seal overnight.

*!arning, read up on canning here if this is your first attempt.  I can't take responsibility for anybody's botulism!  But really, it's pretty easy once you know the rules.  The botulism-destroying rules.