Cinema snacks: recreating recipes from the silver screen
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Welcome to our series ‘Snack to the Future’, where we show you how to recreate snack-sized recipes from the screen, so you can munch your way through the movies along with your favourite characters. In celebration of the release of the hotly anticipated threequel, in this episode we're recreating the favourite sweet treat of Britain's most beloved talking bear PADDINGTON (Winnie the Pooh fanboys don't come at me).
Inspired by seeing a lonely bear on a department store shelf, Paddington was created in the 1950s by BBC cameraman and Blue Peter stalwart Michael Bond, who drew on experiences of seeing child refugees and evacuees during the Second World War. Since then, the Peruvian bear has gone on to feature in dozens of books, four TV series, three movies, and in the nineties, a Paddington toy was even chosen as the first item to be passed over to French workers when the two sides of the Channel Tunnel were linked.
The universal fish out of water story has made Paddington a global success that has been translated into over 30 languages and sold 30+ million copies. Despite being born in deepest darkest Peru, the sweet little bear is quintessentially British; he loves tea and sandwiches, is sickeningly polite, and never says when he is displeased, just does a cold hard stare. That'll teach 'em.
Paddington is rarely seen without his duffel coat, wellington boots, and a marmalade sandwich stored under his hat. Paddington's love of marmalade is insatiable, and once you make this, yours will be too! Making marmalade is a long process but it is so worth it. Store your marmalade in sterilised jars, it will last for months and it makes for a wonderful gift. Grab yourself a very large pot and let's get to making! This jam making kit is brilliant if you are all idea and none of the gear.
If you haven't watched the video yet, it's packed with tips so be sure to check it out.
Please look after this recipe. Thank you.
GO TO:
PADDINGTON
Features at 2 mins & 36 seconds of Paddington (to name but one moment!)
INGREDIENTS (makes about 8 jars)
1kg of oranges (Seville oranges preferred)
2 lemons *
2 kg granulated or preserving sugar **
2.5 litres of water
TO SERVE
According to our furry friend, take a warm slice of fresh bread, a layer of marmalade, and another warm slice of fresh bread with the crusts cut off. Yum.
METHOD
Wash and dry the fruit. Halve the oranges and the lemon(s)*.
Squeeze out the juice from the oranges and the lemon(s) and strain into a large pot, removing any pips for later. Cut the lemon peel into quarters and keep aside.
Scoop out the flesh from the oranges, leaving the peel and white pith intact. Place the flesh in a muslin cloth along the lemon peel, and any pips removed from the juice. Tie closed closed with string, leaving about 30 cm lengths of string on the ends.
Shred the peel into slithers however thick or thin you like your marmalade! Add the shredded peel to the pot with the juice.
Add the water to the pot, cover with cling film or a lid and leave overnight ***
The next day, tie the string from the bag to a wooden spoon, and lay across the top of the pot. The marmalade will bubble up a lot during cooking so be sure to use a very large pot.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gentle for 1-1.5 hours until the peel is soft and breaks apart easily. The thicker the peel, the longer this will take.
Remove the muslin pouch, squeezing it against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Put aside to cool slightly. When cooled a little, wearing thick rubber gloves, squeeze the pouch to remove as much pectin as possible.
Place a couple of saucers or small plates in the freezer (these will be used later to test if the marmalade is set).
Add the sugar to the pot, and stir until dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 mins until it reaches a setting point. To test if it's set, do the ‘wrinkle test’. Place a teaspoon of marmalade on one of the frozen saucers and leave for a 1 minute. Gently push the mixture with your finger, if it wrinkles, it’s ready.
Remove the pot from the heat and leave the marmalade to settle for 15 mins, removing and scum from the surface.
Pot into sterilised jam jars, seal and leave to cool completely (see notes below on how to sterilise).
Notes:
* Seville oranges are more tart than Navel or Valencia and so are the ultimate choice for marmalade. As Seville oranges are more acidic, you will only need one lemon, use two lemons if you are using sweeter oranges.
** Make sure you use granulated or preserving sugar for this. Preserving sugar will produce less scum and a clearer finished result. Jam sugar contains pectin so avoid it, there is already tonnes of pectin in the peel.
*** If you're pushed for time, you don't need to soak the peels overnight, this just helps to soften the peel and macerate the fruit.
Take the pot of the heat when you're doing the wrinkle test to see if it's ready- I didn't and I regret it! It went slightly over in that short time.
If you do boil off too much water and the marmalade becomes too thick, before you jar it you can stir in a little boiling water to loosen it.
STERILISING: Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan. Wash the jars and lids in warm soapy water, and rinse throughly. Place the jars and lids on a baking tray and pop in the oven for 10-15 mins until completely dry. Be careful when handling the jars as they will be really hot! If you have rubber seals, boil these in hot water to sterilise, don't stick them in the oven.
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