Homemade Orange Jam

I love fresh oranges, but am never a fan of orange marmalade.  When I was young, whenever we have a cold, my mom likes to make us drink a cup of hot water mixed with a couple spoonfuls of orange marmalade.  Soothes our throat she says. 

Actually, I was attempting to make an entremet and the ingredient list asks for orange jam & orange puree. Boy, I never know where to find those.  The first thing I thought was Orange Jam = Orange Marmalade? I searched for recipes I can make it myself.   Was very excited to find that those two are similar but orange jam seems more exciting since I can leave out the peels. I did add in the zests which I'm okay with.

I have cooked my jam longer than intended so it got very thick when cooled.  I was aiming for spreadable consistency, so I advise you to stop when its still a bit liquidy and not thick like syrup.  I read somewhere online where some people use a cold plate technique where you put a drop of jam on the cold plate and wait a second or two and it's ready when it's the consistency you wanted.

The recipe is really simple yet the end result is delicious. You'll never go store-bought again.

Orange Jam - adapted from Chef In Disguise

1000 grams orange segments
750 grams to 1 kg  (4-5 cups ) sugar
1 cup orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of thinly slices orange peel (optional)

- If you want to add the peels to the jam, remember to remove the pith aka the white part of the skin. Slice into short thin strips.  I end up using just the zests of the oranges.
- Put a plate in the freezer use it to test consistency.

1. Cut the oranges into 1 cm segments, try to get rid of all the seeds as best as you can.  Leftover seeds should float on top when you stir.
2. In a pot, add the orange segments, sugar, lemon juice and orange juice.
3. Bring to a boil over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.  When the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat to low and stir every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. Simmer over low heat until the mixture is reduced to 1/3 the original amount and the consistency is thick (this should take an hour to an hour & a half)

*** If you plan on adding the orange peel, after the mixture has reduced to 1/2 its original size (40-50 minutes into cooking) add the peels.
5. I jar the jam immediately since I'm afraid if mixture cools it will thicken and make it harder to jar.  Original recipe states below:
"Allow the mixture to cool completely away from any sources of moisture.  I cover the pot with a clean cloth while cooling, don’t use the lid of the pot, if you do the hot steam might condense into water drops and if water gets into the jam it goes bad.
Once the mixture has cooled, fill it into jars."