12 Delicious Ideas for Marmalade other than Toast!

Today is the start of National Marmalade Week and whilst there are many national days (a while ago was #nationaldrinkwineday which sounds reasonable) and weeks this one is rather special. Not only is it to promote the buying, making and eating of marmalade but, even more importantly, there are lots of marmaladious events and competitions organized to raise money for hospices all over the world. 

National Marmalade Week starts off with a race auspiciously led by the great Paddington Bear and a Marmalade 'Peel of Bells’ with Oranges & Lemons, the famous nursery rhyme being rung by campanologists all over the country. People will even be wearing orange to celebrate the occasion. 

Mackays,  who make the UK’s best selling and remarkably good marmalade, have sent me a few jars of their produce to play with.  See here for their whole range of marmalades.

Here are my 12  marmalade ideas but I’d like to start with handy hint (or “hack” as they are now called) – if doing anything other than spreading your marmalade on toast it is a good idea to stir it a bit first which liquefies it somewhat and makes it easier to assimilate into dishes.

1.  Duck a l’Orange …

… as we say in England for some reason – I wonder if they say Canard with Orange in France! Many years ago I used to make a very acceptable (enough to be mentioned in the Good Food Guide!) Duck a l’Orange by deglazing the duck pan with port and stirring in orange marmalade, however I like this way even more …

2 duck breasts
100g orange marmalade
1 tablespoon soy sauce

~   Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/200ºC fan/gas 7.
~   Cut the duck fat in the traditional criss-cross fashion.
~   Stir together the marmalade and soy sauce in the pan you intend to roast the duck.
~   Pan fry the duck breasts skin side down for 2-3 minutes till golden, turn and cook just a minute to brown the underside.
~   Place in the roasting tin with the marmalade mixture. I used to turn the duck to coat but prefer leaving the fat uncoated so that it stays crisp.
~   Roast for 8-10 minutes then set aside to rest.
~   Stir the juices in the pan over a medium heat till syrupy.
~   Slice the duck breasts and serve drizzled with the glaze.

This is absolutely gorgeous served with roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes and here’s a picture of a cook’s treat I had when testing the syrupiness of the sauce.

2.  Marmalade on Salmon! 

Make a glaze for fresh or, even better, hot smoked salmon by stirring together a little marmalade (I used the lemon and lime) and some sweet chilli sauce and brushing over the fish before baking or grilling.

3.  Vinaigrette

Whisk or shake a little marmalade into vinaigrette, orange or orange & ginger for duck, lemon and lime for shrimp – vinaigrette basics here 

4.   Marmalade IN Toast!

It’s really French Toast ...

1 marmalade sandwich

(use appropriet bread, nothing too heavy, brioche would be good)

1 egg

½ tablespoon sugar

50ml milk or cream or a mixture

½ teaspoon grated orange zest – if possible

pinch salt
knob of butter

~  Beat together the following ingredients and soak the sarnie for about 10 mins, turning once. Don’t let it get too soggy.
~  Fry in butter till crips and golden on each side.

Clotted cream is awesome with this!!!

5.  Marmalade Ripple Ice Cream

This quick, easy, egg-free, no-churn ice cream is made using my flexible ice cream recipe, adding a nip of whisky makes for a very soft and delicious ice cream but less than perfect for breakfast; difficult to keep on the toast.

500ml double cream
a wee nip of whisky – optional
200g condensed milk
425g marmalade
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons more marmalade

~   Whip the cream, together with whisky if using, till thick
~   Fold in the condensed milk.
~   Fold in the marmalade.
~   Decant into chosen container.
~   Stir together the zest, orange juice and 2 tablespoons of marmalade and drizzle over the ice cream in a figure of 8, or any other enthusiastic swirly shape. Stir it through just once or twice making sure to do a large expansive sort of stir down to the bottom and out to the sides of the mixture. 

~   Freeze. 

When the ice cream is served the cutting, scooping and spooning will cause it to ripple further.

I am always creating new ice creams with my easy no-churn dairy ice cream recipe but we do have our favourites (Buttered Rum & Ginger, Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream and Maple Syrup); Marmalade Ripple has now joined this auspicious list.

6.  Marmalade Sorbet – So Easy!

100g caster sugar

250ml hot water
200g marmalade

~   Stir the ingredients together till fully amalgamated.
~   Cool.
~   Freeze.

That’s it – delicious!  I’ve written a small ebook about sorbet as part of my Genius Recipes series and they are all a doddle bit I think this one wins!

I also had a go at making a drink out of the sorbet by just topping up with sparkling water and it was really, really  good – must try to remember it just in case summer ever comes!

7.  Marmalade Frosting/Topping

Sweeten and flavour cream cheese with marmalade and maybe a little liqueur, soften with cream if necessary and use as a topping, frosting or filling for cakes and desserts.

8.  Marmalade Flapjacks

180g butter
120g marmalade
½ tablespoon of Golden Syrup
30g soft light brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly grated zest to match your marmalade
250g porridge oats

~   Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325°F/140ºC fan/gas 3.
~   Butter a 20cm square (or similar) cake tin.
~   Melt together everything but the oats over low heat, stirring occasionally.
~   Stir in the oats and decant the mixture into the cake tin.
~   Bake for about 25 minutes till the top is golden and the whole place smells delicious.
~   Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into 9 squares (or whatever you like!)

9.  Manly Marmalade Bread Pudding 

Not the wobbly creamy bread and butter pudding type thing – see below for that.

225g stale bread torn into pieces

125g dried fruit plus 2 tablespoons rum or brandy or whisky (or, even better alcohol soaked fruit from your storecupboard)

70g brown sugar

180g marmalade

1 egg

~ Cover the bread with cold water and set aside half an hour or so.

~ Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C/No. 4.

~ Use your hands to squeeze the bread out as dry as poss and put into a mixing bowl.

~ Add all the other ingredients and whisk or beat (or manually munge) to completely combined.

~ Turn into a greased ovenproof dish and bake for about an hour till firm.

~ Cool and cut into squares or wedges. 

Good with clotted cream but then what isn't?

10.  Bread & No Butter Marmalade Pudding (the wobbly, creamy kind) - serves 4

Traditionally this comprises slices of buttered bread layered up and baked in a custard but I don’t think there is much to be gained by the butter and, if you don’t have to butter it, random pieces of leftover bread are easier to use. You can, however, use sliced buttered bread if you prefer - it's your pudding!

If the bread isn’t stale dice or tear into pieces and either leave it around the place for an hour or so or put it on a baking tray and pop in the oven for a few minutes.

100g-150g stale bread in small chunks

3 tablespoons orange marmalade plus another one!

200ml milk

100ml double cream

2 eggs

75g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lovely orange

~   Put the bread into a lightly greased ovenproof dish or divide between ramekins.
~    Stir the 3 tablespoons of marmalade to liquefy and then drizzle over the bread. Turn the bread around in it.
~   Whisk together all the other ingredients and pour over pushing the bread under the surface to soak it. Set aside for 30 minutes or more – even overnight will do.
~   Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C/160˚C Fan/gas 4.
~   Bake for about 40 minutes till risen, golden and slightly wobbly when nudged.
~   Either dust with sugar or icing sugar brush with the glaze below.

Serve hot, warm or cold but warm is best.

11.  Alcoholic Marmalade Glaze

Stir together 3 tablespoons of orange marmalade and  1 tablespoon orange liqueur (Grand Marnier of Cointreau) briefly over low heat till runny and merged together. Brush over warm, fresh out the oven cakes, scones, buns or the bread pudding above.

12.  Wee Punch

When I lived in the West Indies ‘Ti Punch (short for Petit Punch) was my favouritest Caribbean rum drink ever. The proportions are given in this traditional poem, and the ingredients are simply lime juice, cane or sugar syrup, rum and water (supposedly – not everyone agrees with this last ingredient!). 

I tried making a similar thing with orange juice and strained marmalade instead or lime and syrup – no water, of course. 

This was a lovely drink on a disconcertingly sunny afternoon!

Cocktails made with marmalade are, of course, entirely suitable for breakfast.

A Marmalade Story

Marmalade is, of course, very important. I once sailed with an old man of the sea who one time, when passage making and not having seen another vessel for several days, sighted a yacht in the distance who radioed him to ask if he had any marmalade. He replied yes and was then asked if it was Dundee (fussy buggers) which it was so they met up!