Cara Cara oranges take their name from their Venezuelan birthplace, Hacienda Cara Cara. These plump, seedless pink-on-the-inside oranges have a sweet tang and a heady fragrance uncannily reminiscent of a grade school cafeteria. A winter-only citrus treat, jam makers would are wise to lay in a store of Cara Cara marmalade now.
Why pineapple you ask? This tropical mash-up recipe is a tribute to a madcap adventure my niece Cara and I took across the Hawaiian archipelago.
Recipe makes eleven 8-oz. jars
6 Cara Cara oranges
2 8 oz. cans crushed pineapple
Sugar to equal fruit, @5 cups
Slice the Cara Cara oranges in half. Peel off each rind in one large piece. Slice the rinds into neat 1″ julienne.
Place the orange rind strips in a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, gently boil for 10 minutes. Drain, then refill pot with fresh water and boil another 5 minutes. Drain.
Roughly chop the now denuded orange halves and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Chop till thick and frothy. Measure the chopped fruit and then measure out an equal amount of sugar, around 5 cups.
Put fruit pulp, sugar, the boiled rinds and the contents of the two cans of pineapple into a large heavy pot. Bring up to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes. The mixture will thicken up.
This marmalade is thick but not very sticky.
Pour into sterilized canning jars, seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
