Citrus jams: a ray of sunshine for wintry days

Harvested in autumn and cooked in winter, oranges, lemons, clementines and other fruit from sunny climes make delicious citrus marmalades and jams. Oranges come third on the list of favourite fruit for jam eaters in France and Europe. What better reason to continue creating recipes with a tang?

Citrus fruit, the taste of sun

Citrus fruit arrives on our markets as we enter the cooler months, conjuring up memories of sunny blue skies, heat and holidays…

In our part of the world, we know all about oranges, clementines, mandarins and grapefruit. But we’re much less familiar with varieties like the tangerine, citron, makrut lime, calamondin, kumquat and yuzu, which are nevertheless increasingly finding their way into the kitchens of our top chefs.

Jam or marmalade?

The legislation makes a distinction between jam and marmalade. Jam is made with one or more varieties of fruit, sugar and fruit.The term “marmalade”, on the other hand, is only used for citrus fruit. The fruit and sugar content is also different to a fruit jam.

Legend has it that marmalade was invented in 1797 in Dundee, Scotland, by two grocers: James Keiller and his mother, Janet. Those who dispute this version explain that James and Janet simply adapted an existing recipe to create their own, which for many years won the city a reputation as the home of Dundee marmalade.

Whatever the facts of the matter, it’s common knowledge that the British are very keen on bitter orange marmalade, which they have at breakfast or tea time on scones or muffins.

The French tend to prefer citrus jam, which is easier to spread. Its texture is a bit firmer than that of other recipes such as cherry jam, though, since these varieties are rich in pectin, a natural gelling agent.

Only the best citrus fruit for Andrésy Confitures recipes

When autumn rolls around, Andrésy Confitures sets to work to cook its citrus fruit recipes. The company sources its fruit from the regions in Europe and around the world known for the irreproachable quality of their fruit:

• Corsica, the only French region to grow clementines certified by a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label. The Isle of Beauty also supplies sweet oranges and pomelos.
• Spain and Morocco, whose delicious oranges are ripened by the Mediterranean sun;
• Italy, for the distinctive scent of its lemons from Amalfi and Sorrente;
• Florida, California and Spain, for the various varieties of grapefruit;
• Japan, for the yuzu and the makrut lime.

An infinite variety of citrus jams

After strawberries and apricots, oranges are jam eaters’ favourite fruit. In the run-up to Christmas, sales of jam made with Corsican clementines double, making it one of Andrésy Confitures’s best sellers.

Andrésy markets dozens of citrus jams, made from both traditional and more modern recipes. Fans of 100% citrus jams will particularly enjoy the recipes “Sweet orange-bitter orange”, “Clementine-sweet orange”, “Mandarin-tangerine”, “Sweet orange-bitter orange-grapefruit” and “Sweet orange-bitter orange-lemon-grapefruit”.

Citrus fruit, as either a secondary or dominant ingredient, go well with numerous other fruit, adding a sharp or sweeter fruity note. In its collection Les Petites Parisiennes Confiturières, Andrésy combines strawberry and clementine, strawberry and yuzu, clementine and chestnut, orange and melon, and mandarin and passion fruit.

For its marmalades, Andrésy takes special care over the cooking to keep the zests tender and crystallized. Every winter, alongside its enduringly popular bitter orange marmalade, Andrésy brings out its special collection of Christmas marmalades for gourmet grocery shops. Made of citrus fruit, spices (mainly cloves, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg) and dried fruit (nuts and almonds, among others), they make great gift ideas for gourmets.