Nothing tricky about any of my marmalade recipes, but still impressive taste of Amazing Rhubarb, Strawberry and Vanilla Marmalade. This is the base, which you can spice up or flavour up with an aromatic alcohol or herbs. No limits to imagination. Let’s start!
Rhubarb and strawberries are coming into the season, and as I’ve previously mentioned these 2 are one of my most favourite ingredients. I am a child of the month July, therefore, strawberries have always been related to my celebrations. The rhubarb was, on the other hand, quite a new vegetable for me to process. However, I happened to like it a lot and use it in many other dishes, preferably cakes and pies. Check out my rhubarb recipes in here. Yummy!
Rhubarb, Strawberry and Vanilla Marmalade is suitable for kids from the age of 2 because of the amount of sugar. The myth about rhubarb being poisonous or unhealthy, I do not follow. Buy ripe red stalks and cut the leaves off properly. Once processed and warmed up, it is delicious and even healthy. It needs a pinch of sugar and cinnamon only. Offer smaller amount, you don’t have to eat the whole jar of this vegetable. Bon appetit!
Total Time: 1.5 hour of cooking + an overnight sit of the rhubarb and strawberries
Shopping List
800g of uncleaned ripe rhubarb stalks, cleaned, washed and chopped (it makes around 650g of cleaned vegetable)1.5 kg of washed and cleaned strawberries, chopped
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
½ lemon
Homemade vanilla sugar (superfine caster sugar laid with a couple of dried vanilla beans)
Gelling sugar 2:1
One day ahead
Place all the rhubarb into a large deep pan casserole and generously sprinkle with some vanilla sugar. Add ½ of the amount of the gelling sugar, just to smell it out and cover with strawberries in 2 layers. Repeat. Vanilla sugar and gelling sugar. Do not mix, just cover with a lid.
Leave it in a cold place, not fridge, an overnight.
Next day
The Cooking
Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste and mix it up well.
Next, always place 3-4 large soup spoons of the fruit & vegetable with their own juices into a smaller deep pan and cook on low heat.
Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Stir occasionally.
First, it starts foaming, then, it becomes more homogenous and afterwards, it starts to turn into a gelling process. At this stage you can mash it a bit with a potato masher and taste. If it isn’t sweet enough, add some more gelling sugar.
Make a test of consistency by placing a little bit of marmalade onto a small porcelain plate. Wait for a couple of seconds and see the texture. If you are content, you are good to go. The whole process of these smaller amounts takes about 30 minutes. Repeat until you have nothing to process.
In the finale, mold the vanilla marmalade into clean glass jars. Close them tight and wrap upside down in a blanket. Let them cool down entirely and store them in a dark and cold place.
This vanilla marmalade is gorgeous just like that. You can also serve it with a butter brioche and Brie cheese, or on a slice of a good bread with some layer of butter, or with my favourite pancakes or waffles. Cheers!
Makes 6 medium jars.
