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1
Scrub the lemons, remove any stems or blemishes. cut each in quarters on the long axis, then slice them very thinly (I use a japanese mandolin set on thin) and remove and reserve the pips.
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2
Scrub the clementines, cut the same way as the lemons. Save the pips in the same manner.
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3
Using cheesecloth, make a loose bundle of the lemon and clementine seeds, tie it with string and leave a long leash so you can tie it off to your pan handle.
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4
Set the shaved citrus in a pan, cover with the water, and set the bag of seeds into it. Let is set at room temperature, covered, overnight.
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5
8 hours later, pour the citrus and water into your large heavy pan, add the bundle of seeds and tie it off to the pan handle. Add the apple peel and turn the heat on under it to medium and let it come up to a simmer.
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6
Once it's slowly boiling, add the sugars and the brandy. let it continue to cook for about an hour, then set the thermometer in and turn the heat up slightly and start watching the temperature. Stir constantly, and skim foam which develops on the top.
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7
have 8 8-ounce jars and maybe a couple of 4-oz jars sanitized and ready. I wash mine, then set them on a tray in a 250 oven so they are ready when I am.
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8
Once the thermometer reads 215 F, add the vanilla extract* and butter, and fish out and discard the apple peel and bag of pips. Continue to cook and stir until it hits 220, then ladle into prepared hot jars, lid up, and process for 10 minutes.
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9
This is a medium-set marmalade, with no graininess and a good balance of flavor with less bitterness if you use Meyers than if you use commercially shipped lemons.
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10
* I make my own vanilla extract, and once in a while I will pull one of the vanilla beans out of the jar of extract and snip the end off and just squeeze the vanilla seeds from it into the jam instead of using extract. It adds another visual element, with the tiny black seeds swimming in the marmalade.
