tummyrumbles.com

Inspired by the abundance of fantastic fruit available, and the declaration made in my Five Food Challenges for 2006, I decided to make some jam this morning. Why haven’t I done this sooner? Not only was it relatively easy - but geesh, the taste is absolutely amazing!

Not wanting to stray too far from the traditional (…which therefore might increase my chances of mucking up), I decided to consult one of the bibles of all things culinary, Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion. I may have tweaked the recipes just a teensy-weensy little bit though.

Apricot Jam
1.5kg apricots (firm yet ripe)
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A few strips of lemon rind (my addition)
1.25kg sugar (Steph uses 1.5kg in her recipe)

Fig & Cinnamon Jam (my version)
1kg figs (ripe)
750g sugar
1 large lemon (washed and diced to the size of mixed peel)
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 cinnamon quills (my addition)

I couldn’t source any local apricots, so ended up purchasing a nice firm ripe orange/red variety from New Zealand. After a good wash I diced them into bite sized chunks and threw them in a non-reactive pan, along with the water and lemon juice. The pot was put on medium heat and brought to a simmer for around 20 minutes. At this stage the apricots should have started to break down, yet still be a little chunky. Then with half of the kernels, I used a macadamia nut cruncher gizmo/vice to crack them open and extract the almond looking seed within. These were thrown into the pot at the 20 minute mark along with the sugar, which had been heated to “hand-hot” in a 150 degree celcius oven (about 5 minutes). STIR WELL until the sugar is dissolved, and then boil rapidly for around 15 minutes.

I purchased the figs for $7.99 a kg in Prahran (how cheap is that?!?). After another good wash, they were cut into bite sized chunks and thrown into a non-reactive pan with the sugar, lemon, red-wine vinegar and cinnamon quills. The whole mixture was stirred very well, and then brought to a boil over a medium heat for about 45 minutes. I actually didn’t think this one was going to turn into jam, as it appeared very watery. But the gentle reduction brought it down to an amazing consistency and colour.

There are a couple of ways to test when the jam is ready. I used both the temperature method and the cold plate in the fridge trick. Steph advises that you should start testing for setting at about 104 degrees celcius onwards. But both my mixtures only went to around 102 - so unless my thermometer is stuffed, I probably wouldn’t rely too much on that method. So, I tried the cold plate trick. Place a splodge of jam on a cold plate and throw it in the fridge. Leave for a minute, pull out and run your finger down the middle of the blob. If the line stays clear and it remains in two distinct halves, the setting has been reached.

Whilst all this was bubbling away, I was sterilising jars I had purchased from Supply and Demand earlier in the day. After washing thoroughly in hot soapy water, the jars were boiled for 10 minutes and then placed in a 150 degree oven to dry.

After both mixtures had got to setting stage, they were removed from the heat and allowed to cool for a few minutes. I then spooned them into the sterilised jars using a sterilised spoon. Lids on tight, they were labeled and the job is done.

Tasting Notes
I am thrilled to bits by the taste and consistency of both jams. The apricot version is a beautiful clear deep umber orange, with deliciously soft morsels of apricot chunks throughout. The fig and cinnamon concoction really blew me away though. The colour is deep maroony red, flecked generously with little white fig seeds. And the taste. Oh my god. The vinegar is just a stroke of pure genius. It lifts the taste from purely sweet to something that has levels of perpetually salivating goodness. The cinnamon feathers the taste buds ever so gently, but next time I would certainly consider adding another quill or two.

Written by mellie on February 11th, 2006 | Tags: jams, recipes | Category: Uncategorized |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL