Things to do with Marmalade.

There is no need for me to repeat here all of the ethical, economic, and environmental justifications for avoiding food waste. Anyone who doesn’t already understand them is a lost cause. I can, however, give you an additional reason for saving that last spoonful of good gravy, soup, sauce, or condiment. It is an idea with no global implications, to be sure, but it deserves consideration none the less.

Flavour. Throwing out the last little bit of something delicious is throwing out flavour. A bit of flavour that just might be what your recipe needs. Today I ask you to consider marmalade. Of course, a spoonful or two of a jam is just the right amount to spread on your toast, so in theory “leftover marmalade” should be a nonsense phrase. There may be a potent temptation to throw out a not-quite empty jar of a conserve, I suppose. Perhaps you have returned from a visit to the Farmers’ Market with a new flavour of jam, but feel that the old jar should be finished off first? Perhaps you are about to make a new batch of marmalade and need to recycle that jar? Perhaps, of course, you just love marmalade and want to explore new ways of using that lovely citrus tang to your cooking.

In a couple of previous posts we have had Marmalade Pudding (here, and here,) so I wont give another pudding today.

 How about this intriguing idea?

When eggs are scarce, use one egg and a tablespoonful of marmalade instead of two or three eggs in a cake. This makes it light and gives the cake a delightful flavour.

Worker (Brisbane, Qld) 31 May 1938

And this:

Marmalade Sauce.

Take 3 tablespoonfuls of marmalade, mix with it about 2 tablespoonfuls of water and 1 of sherry, warm over the fire; if not sweet enough, add a little sifted sugar. A few drops of lemon juice is an improvement to it.

The Menu Cookery Book (1885)

Another tasty idea, from a most interesting source:

Jam or Marmalade Pie.

Take two tablespoonfuls of jam or marmalade, beat up one egg, add an ounce of butter, previously melted. Beat altogether. Line a plate with good paste and fill with the mixture.

The Phrenological Magazine, Volume 5 (1889)

If you are a marmalade fanatic with a jar to spare, how about this?

Marmalade Bread.

Sift together 3 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Add grated rind and juice of 1 orange to 1 well beaten egg; stir in ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 cup milk. Blend flour mixture with egg mixture, stir in ½ cup marmalade and add ¼ cup melted shortening. Pour into greased loaf tin, stand 25 minutes and bake in moderate oven till firm to touch.

Chronicle (Adelaide, SA) 8 July 1948

And, finally, my favourite idea for a whole jar of the good stuff:

Seville Orange Ice from Marmalade.

Put 1 lb. of smooth orange marmalade into a basin and add the juice of 2 lemons; mix in by degrees 1 quart of cream, pass through a hair sieve, and freeze as before.

The Pastrycook and Confectioners Guide, by Robert Wells, 1889.