Jams, marmalades and spreads are always a breakfast alternative when you don’t have much time, or when you simply want to have quick sweet snack. This lovely caramel apple marmalade is fantastic on a buttered piece of toast with a mug of tea. The sugar is cooked until golden and fragrant, and tossed with sweet delicious apples. It’s quite easy to make, requires very little involvement and guarantees maximum flavour and texture. Choose apples you like to eat, because they will determine the final flavour of the marmalade. My choice were Golden delicious and Granny Smith apples in equal quantities.
Ingredients
1 kilogram apples, peeled and cored
1 medium lemon (juice)
100 grams granulated sugar
250 ml water, divided
300 grams jam sugar 2:1
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation
Peel, core and coarsely grate the apples, toss them with fresh lemon juice and set them aside. Take a large deep heavy-bottomed pot, place it over medium heat and pour in the granulated sugar in an even layer. Shake the pot until the sugar is distributed evenly, then let it cook for about 7 minutes, until caramelized nicely. Do not stir it. When the sugar is golden, pour in half of the warm water, but pour it away from your face, because it will steam a lot and it can hurt you.
Let it boil until the caramel dissolves, about 3-4 minutes, then tip in the apples, cinnamon and the rest of the warm water, bring to a boil and cook it, still over medium heat, for about 20 minutes, until they become very soft, almost like a puree. Make sure you stir it quite frequently. Add the jam sugar and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, remove it from the heat, add vanilla and puree the jam to desired consistency, then pour it into hot, sterilized jars. Yields 500 grams (1.1 lbs) of jam.
