Ingredients
- 250g whole blood orange, skin scrubbed in hot water
- 250g blood orange juice
- 300g sugar
- 500ml water
Method
- Heat the blood orange juice and whole orange chopped into rough pieces (skin, pith and seeds included) in a saucepan with 500ml of water.
- Simmer for approximately 1 hour until the orange skin is soft. When skin is soft, add sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly and process on high in blender in short bursts until the whole orange is pureed into the juice. (be careful when blending warm liquids as pressure can build and steam can escape)
- Return the puree to the saucepan and bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer mixture on low heat for several hours until it has reduced and thickened, stirring on a regular basis.
- When the mixture has thickened to the consistency of thickened cream or tomato sauce, turn the heat off. The mixture will thicken further as it cools.
- Allow to cool slightly and then spoon into sterilised jars or prepared mould or container.
Storing The Blood Orange Paste
I set the Blood Orange Paste in two different ways. The first was into small Ball Mason jars with a lovely quilted pattern that looks like cut crystal. With a swing tag, they will make attractive gifts. The paste was spoonable into the jars and thickened as it cooled. Over time, it will darken and firm up even more. It will keep almost indefinitely if preserved and sealed correctly in sterilised jars.
The second way was to pour it into a shallow container and to let it cool and air dry. I could have used a small tray or cake tin but I happened to have a thin ply cheese box from a recent soft cheese purchase, so I used that. I lined the box with some baking parchment, poured the paste in and loosely covered it. After a few days, I turned it out to take a look and could see it was already drying out and darkening. When it has firmed up a little more, I will put the whole box in a zip lock bag and store it in the fridge. The paste in the box makes an interesting addition to a cheese selection.
No matter which way you store the Blood Orange Paste, over time you may see some small sugar crystals on the edge of the paste. It is fine to eat. This is simply the paste crystallising as it is exposed to the air – you need to eat it faster!
