“The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but
never jam today.”
–
The White Queen, from Through the
Looking Glass and What Alice Found There
by Lewis Carroll
Often when I think of making
jam, and I don’t suppose I’m alone in this, I think of “putting up” preserved
batches that will sit on the shelf through the next year or so, ready to use at
a moment’s notice. This little recipe is not about making that kind of jam. It’s
simpler and more flexible, more of a method than a recipe for a product that’s
meant to be eaten right away. And it’s quite easy.
I borrowed this method from Heart of the Artichoke and other Kitchen Journeys by David Tanis, where the author lists “Making a Little Jam” as
one of his “Kitchen Rituals.” I’ve done stuff like this before myself, but was
always a little timid, not really sure I was making something legitimate. (I know,
get over it, right?) And so, I love having the little seasonal adventure of cooking
fresh, ripe fruits with sugar and making jam validated as a worthy ritual.
Tanis used apricots for the
published version of his jam recipe (and also recommends blackberries, figs,
and Italian plums), and I had good luck with canned apricot jam (from this book), so that’s what I made to talk about here. If you can get great fresh
apricots, they really are good candidates for your first batch of jam. They’re
fairly easy to deal with, and they break down to a satisfying consistency when cooked
with sugar.
And you’ll need plenty of
sugar. Don’t be shy with or afraid of the sugar when making jam. Not only is it
needed to make slightly (or sometimes very) tart fruits into sweet, flavorful
spreads, but that cooked sugar helps create the, well, jammy consistency of a
good jam. That being said, since you’re not canning this jam and don’t need the
sugar to behave as a preservative, you could adjust the amount of sugar to your
own taste.
This batch of jam is small,
resulting in about 2 cups of jam. It’s perfect for when you have as little as 2
cups of great fruit, rather than a mountain of it. It takes less than an hour
to make, and is ready to eat as soon as it cools. It lasts for at least a couple
weeks in the refrigerator, but if you like jam, you may go through it more
quickly than that. As Tanis says in his book, “I am not making it for posterity,
I am making it for breakfast.”
I’ve made similar jam with
rhubarb, strawberries and rhubarb, and, most recently Bing cherries with the few
apricots I had left after making the apricot jam. All have been delicious and
beautiful in color. I love the bright orange of the apricot, dark pink of the rhubarb,
and dark garnet red of the Bing cherry. Of course, I love their bright, perky,
fruity flavors even more.
While I do like making preserved
jams, I love the instant gratification of this little batch of jam. Besides, it
helps fulfill Alice’s statement that, “It must come sometimes to ‘jam to-day.’”
Easy Apricot Jam
Other fruits can be used with this same method, such
as plums, strawberries, rhubarb and sweet or sour cherries. (Sweet cherries
tend to keep their cherry shape more than the other fruits.) In most cases, I
like to stick with the formula of equal parts fruit and sugar by volume. You
can adjust to taste.
Testing for the proper consistency of jam may take
some practice. If you find the jam too runny when it cools, simply put it back
on the stove to cook some more. If it is overcooked, you can add some water and
heat it a little to incorporate that water. If you burn the jam, there’s
nothing that can save it. Remember, too, that there will be some inconsistency
with this process depending on the ripeness and water content of your fruit.
2 cups pitted and coarsely
chopped apricots
2 cups granulated sugar
Up to ½ cup water (optional)
1. Combine the apricots and
sugar in a saucepan large enough to accommodate some vigorous boiling. Stir
together to coat the fruit well in sugar. Add up to ½ cup of water if desired.
This will help keep the sugar from scorching if it takes some time for the
fruit to release its juices.
2. Place over medium-high heat
and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat to maintain a
vigorous simmer, but be sure to avoid having the mixture boil over.
3. Meanwhile, place a couple
of small plates in the freezer. You will use these to help test whether the jam
is done cooking.
4. Continue simmering for
20-30 minutes. At any point (I usually start after about 15 minutes of cooking)
take one of the plates out of the freezer. Place a small dab of the jam on the
plate and let it stand for several seconds. Tip or swirl the plate around. If
the jam flows freely and looks runny, it needs to be cooked longer. If the jam
forms a gel, or meets your preferences for jam consistency, you can stop
cooking.
5. Cool the jam and spoon it
into bowls or jars. Keep refrigerated.
Makes about 2 cups of jam.
If you would like a recipe
for a canned apricot jam, I highly recommend the recipe in The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and
Margaret Howard. There’s lots of other good stuff in this book, too!
