tummyrumbles.com

After the success of my last two jam attempts, I was inspired to give it another crack by a trip to the fruit store today. Brimming with confidence, I have decided to stride forth on my own and create my own recipes, using common jam theory practices and a bit of complimentary taste knowledge.

Strawberry, Balsamic & Black Pepper Jam
1kg Strawberries washed/hulled
3.5 cups Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Tartaric Acid
The Rind of half a Lemon
4 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper

Spicy Peach Jam
1.1kg Peaches
1.1kg Granulated Sugar
The Rind of half a Lemon
Juice of 1 Lemon
0.5 cup of Water
2 Cinnamon Quills
8 Cloves
12 Whole Allspice Pimento

After washing/hulling the strawberries, chop the larger ones in half and place in a non-reactive pan along with the sugar, lemon rind, balsamic vinegar and cracked black pepper. Bring to the boil and cook for eight minutes. Mash up half the strawberries with a potato masher (leaving some of them whole if you like) and then put in the tartaric acid. Cook for a further 5 minutes at a high simmer and perform the cold plate test. If it gels, remove pot from heat and skim any foam immediately. Bottle into sterilised jars.

Wash peaches and cut in half, removing the stone and any marks. I chose to leave the skin on - one recipe I researched said it added to the colour (which is the excuse I’m sticking to!). I blitzed about three quarters of the peaches in a food processor, and cut the remaining into bite-sized pieces. Place fruit in a non-reactive pan along with the rest of the ingredients, stir very well and bring to the boil. Cook on high for 20-25 minutes. Cold plate test and remove if gelling. Skim any foam and bottle into sterilised jars.

Tasting Notes
Both jams set really well, although the peach took a long time to reach gelling point and is slightly more liquid than my previous batches.

The Strawberry, Balsamic and Black Pepper jam is amazingly good. The vinegar adds a lovely tartness that seems to tame the sweetness, and the cracked black pepper goes quite unnoticed until you get a little granule in your mouth. Then the result is a nice little kick of heat, which so compliments the entire experience.

The Spicy Peach jam is yumilly peachy, the allspice and cloves quite noticeable and complimentary. The cinnamon tends to fall by the wayside a bit. Next time I would throw in a bit of cardamom - just because I love the fresh taste it can impart. Whilst the jam is great, it suffers from a lack of fresh zing. Perhaps more lemon/lime would also be in order.

But both of these were VERY good on my toast the next morning.

filed in: recipes, recipes-condiments

Written by mellie on March 29th, 2006 | Tags: Uncategorized | Category: Uncategorized |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL