Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus!

Mad for Marmalade 2017

Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus!

Sat, February 18, 2017, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd (Toronto): 10th and final edition of the sensationally popular collaboration between the Culinary Historians of Canada and Fort York. Toronto’s most orange-tastic Saturday of the year includes marmalade-related talks, demonstrations and workshops, a preserving and baking competition, a marketplace and (of course!) a citrus-themed lunch.

Admission: Early-bird tickets ($65 plus tax) are available until February 6. $75 plus tax afterwards. Pre-registration is required at 416-392-7484.

Presenters

  • Joel MacCharles, author of Batch
  • Camilla Wynne, founder of Preservation Society and author of Preservation  Society Home Preserves: 100 Modern Recipes

Workshops

  1. Pudding… Pond… Sussex: What do these three words have in common? Put the words another way and you have “Sussex Pond Pudding” – a delectable treat, a delight to the eye and delicious to taste. Served with custard, it makes a perfect ending to a winter meal. Workshop leader: Melissa Beynon is a Museum Program Officer at Fort York National Historic Site with a passion for puddings. She has been teaching culinary history in various museums for almost 20 years.
  2. Orange Biscuits: Join Mya Sangster in the 1826 Officers’ Kitchen for a hands-on workshop to make two different recipes for Orange Biscuits. One receipt is taken from Whole Duty of a Woman (1740) and the second is from Robert Abbot’s The Housekeepers Valuable Present (1790). Discover how the meaning of the word biscuit has changed over the centuries. Workshop leader: Mya Sangster is a Volunteer Historic Cook at Fort York National Historic Site.
  3. Orange Marmalade Mazurki: Mazurkie or Mazurek is a fruit- and nut-stuffed flat cake made traditionally for Easter in Poland, Ukraine and Russia. What it lacks in height, it makes up for with its zingy flavours of ginger and orange, its chewy density, its keeping qualities and, most important, the pleasure it gives. Workshop leader: Elizabeth Baird is a marmalade enthusiast, a Volunteer Historic Cook at Fort York National Historic Site and a cookbook author.
  4. Yesterday’s Candied Peel for the Modern Cook: During the early years of Canada, seasonal oranges and lemons were shipped to Upper Canada (Ontario) as prized ingredients. Not a morsel of this fruit was wasted. Transformed into marmalades and candied peel, the prized citrus flavour was preserved for cakes, puddings and treats of the time. Today, citrus fruits are readily available, but the candied peel remains an elusive ingredient still prized for its tangy taste and alluring orange glaze. You can learn to make this treat easily for use in your own kitchen. Use it for desserts of the past or for today’s stylish soups, ragouts, salads and finger foods requiring the surprising tang of candied citrus! Samples to taste and recipes to take home included. Workshop leader: Jan Main is a retired senior baking teacher, published author and caterer, and a Volunteer Historic Cook at Fort York National Historic Site.
  5. Delicious Uses for Marmalade That Will Never Win a Prize: When a marmalade batch misses the proper gel point, it will never be worthy of winning a prize. This workshop will demonstrate how to turn those failed batches into delicious dishes. An historic Marmalade Pudding will be prepared and sampled. Other recipes, including muffins, desserts and savoury sauces will be discussed and shared. Workshop leader: Brenda Dalglish is an enthusiastic Volunteer Historic Cook at Fort York National Historic Site and a former business journalist who says she is better with words than making marmalade. Despite her failures, she is optimistic that one day soon her marmalade will sparkle and gleam like a beautiful Mary Pratt marmalade painting.
  6. Marmalade Goes Savoury: Join Jennifer MacKenzie in simmering up jars of jewel-coloured Red Onion & Lemon Marmalade – a sweet, tangy and savoury condiment. With the zest of citrus you love in a sweet marmalade and a depth of savoury flavour from slow-cooked onions, you’ll be inspired to add this decidedly different marmalade to cheese platters, on top of fish, poultry and burgers, and maybe even spread it on toast! Workshop leader: Jennifer MacKenzie is a Professional Home Economist who wears many aprons as a freelance food writer, cookbook editor and media spokesperson, with a little event planning added to the mix. She is the author/co-author of six cookbooks, including The Complete Book of Pickling (Robert Rose), and a committee chair of the Taste Canada Awards.
  7. Brevas en Almibar: Join Colombian-born food and travel journalist Mary Luz Mejia as she takes you through the culinary history and process of making the Latin American favourite brevas en almibar (figs in syrup). It is served the way she grew up eating it: dressed up with a slice of savoury fresh cheese and a few embellishments she’s discovered along the way. From the Arab world to Spain to landing in Latin America, you’ll see how this sweet treat has evolved and is still served in homes throughout Latin America today. Samples will be provided for each participant. Workshop leader: Colombian-born, Canadian-raised Mary Luz Mejia is a NATJA-nominated freelance food/travel journalist, Gemini-nominated former food TV producer and food content marketer. She is a regular HOSS Magazine contributor, Avocados of Mexico, Vitamix USA and Tangerine. A former brunch columnist for the Toronto Star’s weekly column “The Morning After,” her work has also been published in Saveur Magazine, Today.com, Travel+Leisure, Ensemble Vacations, The Globe and Mail, The Latin Kitchen, Rodale’s Organic Gardening and Toronto Life. She also curates and hosts food festivals throughout Toronto.
  8. The Science and Art of Lemon Meringue Pie: Learn the secrets of making the perfect Lemon Meringue Pie. When made correctly (tricky at first, to be sure), it is a dream come true: tart, melt-in-your-mouth filling and sweet, mile-high meringue all piled into a crispy, delicate crust. This workshop will take you step by step through the creation of that elusive, magic balance of lightness, tartness and sweetness that makes the perfect Lemon Meringue Pie. Workshop leader: Wanda Beaver is the owner of Wanda’s Pie in the Sky bakery. Her love of baking began at an early age. She baked her first pie when she was nine, using cherries picked from her family’s half-acre fruit-filled paradise. Since that first sour cherry pie, which is still her favourite, she hasn’t looked back. Now a staple at Toronto’s Kensington Market, Wanda’s infamous pies are renowned for their flavour and for the fact that every baked good is made with love by hand.

2017 Redpath Marmalade Competition Entry Details

Categories

  1. Pure Seville Orange Marmalade – Marmalade made exclusively of Seville oranges, or marmalade that includes lemons at a ratio of no more than one lemon per four Seville oranges. Bitter oranges other than Seville, do not belong in this category. No other ingredients or flavourings, apart from sugar, may be used.
  2. Citrus Marmalade – Marmalade made exclusively from citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, citron (including Buddha’s hand), grapefruit, limes, mandarins, tangerines, clementines, pomelo, oroblanco, individually or combined. Flavouring agents such as herbs, spices, liquor, chocolate or vanilla may be used, but not non-citrus fruits or vegetables.
  3. Preserves with Citrus – Any spreadable preserve (conserve, chutney, relish, jam, curd, jelly, marmalade), made with any vegetable or fruit, as long as at least one citrus fruit is a key component.
  4. Baking with Marmalade – Home-baked goods with marmalade as an important ingredient.

Competition Rules

  • Individuals may submit only one entry in two separate categories, a total of two entries per person
  • All entries must be accompanied by a $5 registration fee, paid in cash, and a Competition Entry Form. (Download the form M4M Competition form 2017.)

Each entry in the Preserves categories (numbers 1, 2 and 3) must also:

  • Have been made within the last 12 months.
  • Be in standard clear glass jars of 250 mL or 500 mL sold for the purpose of home preserving; that is, preserving jars with new lids and intact bands.
  • Be properly sealed. Unsealed jars, products showing signs of spoilage and products sealed with paper or wax will not be judged.
  • Have no labels or other identifying marks.
  • Be accompanied by a copy of the recipe used to produce the jar contents as submitted, giving credit to recipe source or inspiration (i.e. recipe from a family member, commercial company, cookbook, magazine, newspaper or website) and noting any variations from that source. Recipes must not identify the competitor.

Each entry in the Baking category (number 4) must also:

  • Have no labels or other identifying marks.
  • Be accompanied by a copy of the recipe used to produce the entry as submitted, giving credit to recipe source or inspiration (i.e. recipe from a family member, commercial company, cookbook, magazine, newspaper or website) and noting any variations from that source.

Decisions of the judges are final.

Entries must be delivered with registration form and $5 entry fee to Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Boulevard (Attention: Melanie Garrison, 416-392-7503, melanie.garrison@toronto.ca) before 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, February 18, 2017. (Competitors do not have to attend the event; they may deliver entries in advance of the date.)

For more information, contact Competition Coordinator Daphna Rabinovitch, 416-525-3752 or daphnar@rogers.com.

Mad for Marmalade History

Over the years, Mad for Marmalade has celebrated the use of citrus in numerous cuisines, including those of the U.K., Italy, Morocco and Persia. The event components include lectures, workshops, tastings, a marmalade preserving and baking competition and a citrus-themed lunch.

Keynote speakers at Mad for Marmalade have included such notable authors as Naomi Duguid (Taste of Persia, Burma: Rivers of Flavor, etc.); Jennifer McLagan (Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Ingredient, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, etc.), and Mark Morton (Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities).

Past Programming Details

Click on these links to see full programming details for previous editions of the event: