How to make Confiture Peau Chadeque (confiture de pamplemousse)

This was a request from one of our followers on Facebook to make Confiture Peau Chadeque (Haitian Grapefruit Jam). It brings back good memories of my childhood in Haiti. So I asked my mom who makes the best Haitian everything and she wasted no time to make some. It’s simple to make. It just takes quite a bit of time – about 4 hours. To get started, you’ll need the following ingredients:

10 large grapefruits

1/2 tsp of anise extract

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of almond extract

8 cinnamon sticks

1/2 ginger root, grated

6 cups of sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

water as needed

Step 1: Peel the grapefruit
Using a knife, peel thinly the outer layer of the grapefruit. Be careful to not cut into the meat; leaving the white membrane in tact. When done, it should look something like this:

Step 2: Squeeze Juice and Extract the Pulp
After peeling, cut the grapefruits in half. Over a bowl and strainer, squeeze the grapefruit and remove all the pulp. Using your fingers, pick the edges of the skin and remove the core of the grapefruit, leaving it with an empty shell. Repeat this step for each grapefruit.

Step 3: Combine the grapefruit shells in a pot filled with water. Let boil over high heat for about 20-30 minutes. Keep uncovered.

Step 4: Remove from heat. Drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze the excess water. Repeat this step 4 to 5 times, to remove the bitterness.

Step 5: Add the cooked shells back into a fresh pot of water. Add cinnamon sticks, sugar, ginger, and a dash of salt. Let it cook, uncovered, over high for approximately an hour. Bring to a rolling boil. Stir constantly.