Pamplemousse...aka Grapefruit Jam

GRAPEFRUIT...PUCKER UP...THEY'RE IN SEASON

they're big, sour, have tough membranes, big seeds and bitter white flesh that is hard to avoid.  most people need to douse them in sugar and pry the meat out with a special knife or spoon just to get one little morsel...even then it's not all that rewarding.

the poor grapefruit gets a bad rap.  

so many think it's just plain diet food...

NOT SO!

they make for some delicious homemade marmalade.

a little unknow fact is that originally marmalade was made from Quince, but then evolved to oranges.   some say the word marmalade is reserved for Seville oranges and only Seville oranges, but now just about anything with a citrus rind in jam form would be considered marmalade...

oh...and by the way...i called it "Pamplemousse" because i couldn't really label it Grapefruit Lemongrass...the flavor just doesn't scream lemongrass as i had hoped...but it IS in there.  besides...the French word makes it sound more intriguing...right ?

i've been wanting to make some grapefruit jam since my whole JAMMAPALOOZA thing started...i finally got around to it.

since i have the need to color outside the lines, i decided to make Grapefruit Lemongrass Marmalade.  i have cooked with lemongrass quite a few times and know it is usually a strong flavor...i thought it would hold up well to the tart sweet-sourness of the grapefruit.  NOT SO MUCH !  i steeped four pieces (shown in photo) and i even added very thin-thin slivers into the jam as it cooked.  the end result did not show the lemongrass flavor i was looking for.  maybe it was masked by the acid or the sugar?...maybe the lemongrass was a dud ?...i'm not sure, but i'm thinking it added to the overall flavor profile in some sort of way.

in any case...not that i have ever bought any grapefruit jam in my life, but...

i know this is better than any old store bought marmalade.

PAMPLEMOUSSE aka GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE

(technically...GRAPEFRUIT LEMONGRASS MARMALADE)

using Ina Garten's Orange Marmalade methods

makes 6 half pints plus a little extra.

3 ruby red grapefruit, see notes

1 navel orange, thin sliced

1 lemon juice

1 lemon peel, thin sliced

1 clove roasted garlic...optional.  see note

6 1/2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp fresh ginger finely minced

1/2 vanilla bean scraped

6 cups water

NOTE...optional.  i added four(4) 2 inch pieces of LEMONGRASS, as shown in photo...and some small thin slivers.  the lemongrass flavor did not really come through in the end product, but i hope and imagine it added to the over all flavor layers.

(above is example of lemongrass and pectin pouch after removal from finished product.)

slice the ends off the grapefruits.  run a sharp knife down the sides to remove the peel while leaving the white skin on the grapefruit.  a little white on the peel is ok.  slice the peel pieces to about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick.  set aside.  now take that sharp knife and remove the white skin from the fruit...discard.  over a big bowl do your best to segment the grapefruit meat, leaving the seeds and membrane while catching the dripping juices.  squeeze the juice out of the membrane.  save seeds and 1 - 2 membrane clumps for your cheesecloth pectin pouch.  you should end up with about 4 cups of grapefruit meat and juice.

in a large pot, one that you will be cooking the jam in, add sugar, grapefruit meat, juice and peels and the ginger and bring to a boil.  turn off and let this sit over night or for at least 5-6 hours.  this is supposed to help tone down the bitterness.  don't worry, it will still have that slight grapefruit bitter...cuz that's what a grapefruit is...it's bitter.  as mentioned...i added the lemongrass at this point so that it would steep overnight in the mixture.

the next day or when you're ready don't forget to get everything set to go...plates in the freezer for plate test, sterilized jars and lids, start your huge water bath pot and get your work space cleared for take off.

now bring the mixture up to a medium boil.  stir every now and then.  this stage might take a while.  like an hour?  it needs to reduce a bit......don't walk far away, it might boil up on you and that's not a good thing.  add your scraped vanilla bean (and garlic paste if using).  when the jam starts to thicken and reaches 220-222 F degrees try a plate test...if it passes you are ready to proceed with water bath canning.

NOTE about garlic...if you are adding the roasted clove of garlic.   in a small heat resistant cup, take a small amount of the liquid jam out and dissolve the clove into a paste before adding to the jam.  this should be a sight unseen flavor.