Preserves
Page 4
Fruit with lots of pectin will produce a jam or jelly that sets easily, while those containing lower amounts may well need a bit of help. This can come from other high-pectin fruits added to the mix (as with blackberry and apple jelly, for instance). Alternatively, extra pectin can be added in the form of a pectin stock, or commercially produced liquid or powdered pectin (usually extracted from apples or citrus fruit). A third option is to use jam sugar with added pectin (see here). This is very handy for quick and easy jam-making and, provided the manufacturer’s instructions are followed, will guarantee a set with low-pectin fruits such as sweet cherries, rhubarb and strawberries.
How to test for pectin If you follow the chart overleaf, you shouldn’t need to test for pectin. However, if you’re using a fruit not covered here, there is a simple way to check the pectin levels. Add 1 tsp (5ml) of the cooked fruit juice to 1 tbsp (15ml) methylated spirits (or gin or whisky, as these work too). Shake gently and leave for a minute or two. Juice from a pectin-rich fruit will form a firm clot. If the juice forms several small clots, this indicates a medium pectin content. Juice that remains fairly liquid signifies a low pectin level.
Home-made pectin stock A pectin-rich ‘stock’ is easily made from certain fruits. The procedure is much the same as the early stages of jelly-making:
Combine 1kg redcurrants, gooseberries or roughly chopped (but not peeled or cored) sour cooking apples with 600ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the fruit is soft. Strain through a jelly bag. The resulting pectin stock will keep for up to 4 weeks in the fridge. To keep it longer, either freeze it (but allow for a reduction in strength when using) or sterilise it.
To sterilise, bring the juice to the boil, pour into hot, sterilised preserving jars and seal immediately. Immerse the jars in a pan of hot water with a folded tea towel on the bottom. Heat the water until boiling, then boil for 5 minutes. Remove the jars carefully and store in a cool, dry place.
To use the stock, stir 150–300ml of it into every 1kg of low-pectin, softened fruit before sugar is added.
Acid
This is naturally found in fruit and is essential for clear, bright, well-set preserves. It draws pectin out of the fruit, enabling setting point to be reached quickly without lengthy cooking, which would darken the jam. Acid also helps prevent crystallisation of the sugar. Levels of acid vary in different fruits (see chart) and are lower in over-ripe fruit. Lemon, gooseberry or redcurrant juice is sometimes added to low-acid fruit jams. It should be added before the fruit is cooked, so it can get to work on drawing out the pectin. If you’re making jam with a low-acid fruit, such as strawberries or rhubarb, add 30ml lemon juice, or 150ml redcurrant, gooseberry or apple juice, per 1kg of fruit.
Sugar
The fourth vital ingredient for jam-making and the one that actually preserves the fruit and keeps it from spoiling. In order to do this, the proportion of sugar in a preserve needs to be 60 per cent or higher. Boiling the fruit and sugar mixture drives off water, which helps the sugar content reach this crucial level. Sugar also enhances the flavour of sharp, acidic fruits such as blackcurrants and gooseberries. See Key preserving ingredients, for in-depth information on different types of sugar.
Setting point
Providing the proportion of ingredients is correct, your jam or jelly should set once it has been sufficiently cooked. There are three simple methods you can use to check if setting point has been reached. Remove the jam from the heat while testing for setting point (it will lose more water as it cooks and may reach a point where it will set too firmly). If setting point has not been reached, return to the boil, cook for a further couple of minutes, then test again.
Crinkle or saucer test Drop a little jam on to a cold saucer (I put one in the fridge when I start jam-making). Allow to cool for a minute then push gently with your fingertip. If the jam crinkles, setting point has been reached.
Flake test Dip a clean wooden spoon into the jam, hold it up over the pan, twirl it around a couple of times, then let the jam drop from the side of it. If the drops run together to form a flake, setting point has been reached.
Temperature test Place a preserving thermometer into the jam when it has reached a rolling boil. When it reads 104.5°C, setting point will have been reached. Pectin-rich fruits will set a degree or two lower.
Making perfect jams and marmalades
This checklist will help to ensure success every time:
1. Always use fresh, dry, slightly under-ripe fruit. Prepare and pick over according to type, i.e. hull strawberries, stone plums, top and tail gooseberries, shred citrus peel. Wash the fruit only if necessary and dry it well.
2. Simmer the fruit gently in a large, uncovered pan before adding the sugar. This softens the fruit and helps draw out the pectin. Soft fruits, such as raspberries and strawberries, will not need added water but tougher-skinned or semi-hard fruits, such as currants, gooseberries, plums, apples and citrus fruit, will.
3. Make sure that the fruit skins are well softened before sugar is added. Once the sugar is in, the skins will not soften further, no matter how long you cook them. Citrus peel for marmalade takes 1½–2 hours to soften.
4. A knob of butter (20g for every 1kg fruit) or a little cooking oil, added at the same time as the sugar, helps to prevent any scum forming on the jam.
5. After adding the sugar to the fruit or juice, stir it over a gentle heat to ensure it is completely dissolved before the mixture begins to boil. Adding the sugar before the jam is boiling helps to ‘hold’ the fruit in whole or chunky pieces. Warming the sugar in a low oven will speed up the dissolving process, but is not strictly necessary.
6. Once the sugar is dissolved, cook the jam, without stirring, at a full rolling boil, i.e. when the surface is covered by a mass of foamy bubbles that don’t recede when stirred. Time your cooking from the point at which the rolling boil begins. Don’t stir at this stage – it cools the jam so it would take longer to reach setting point.
7. Test for setting point, using one of the methods given here, when the foamy bubbles have subsided and the boiling surface of the jam appears glossy and heavy.
8. When setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat. To remove scum, stir the jam (always in the same direction so as not to introduce too much air) until it has dispersed. Alternatively, skim off scum with a slotted spoon. (Scum, by the way, is nothing to worry about – it’s just air bubbles created by the intense cooking process.)
9. Allow jams with large pieces of fruit, and thick-cut marmalades, to cool for 10–12 minutes before potting. This allows the mixture to thicken slightly so that the fruit, when potted, should remain well distributed throughout the jar.
10. Pour into clean, sterilised jars while the preserve is still very hot (always above 85°C). Seal with suitable lids and, once cool, store in a cool, dry place.
Making perfect jellies
You will need to prepare the fruit in the same way as for jams, but there are different watchpoints for jelly-making:
1. Soften the fruit by simmering it very gently for 45–60 minutes. With juicy fruits, like strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and blackberries, allow 300–400ml water per 1kg fruit. For plums and damsons, allow 600ml per 1kg, and for blackcurrants 900ml per 1kg. Apples, quinces and hard fruits should be just covered with water.
2. Strain the cooked fruit pulp through a scalded jelly bag (this helps to make the jelly clear) for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. If you can’t resist squeezing or poking the bag to extract more juice, be prepared for your jelly to be cloudy.
4. Allow 450g sugar for every 600ml juice. Bring the juice slowly to the boil and add the sugar only when boiling – this helps to keep your jelly clear and bright: the longer the sugar is cooked, the more the jelly will darken. Boiling time will be somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the type of fruit used.
5. Test for a set in the same way as for jam.
6. Skim the jelly an
d pour into jars as quickly as possible.
Seville orange marmalade
Season: January to February
The bitter Seville orange is the most traditional and arguably the finest marmalade fruit of all. Only available for a few short weeks from mid-January, this knobbly, often misshapen orange has a unique aromatic quality and is very rich in pectin. However, you can use almost any citrus fruit to make good marmalade – consider sweet oranges, ruby-red or blood oranges, grapefruit, limes, clementines, kumquats, or a combination of two or three (see my suggested variations overleaf).
There are two basic ways of making marmalade. My first choice is the sliced fruit method, which involves cutting the raw peel into shreds before cooking. I find this technique produces a brighter, clearer result. However, the whole fruit method, in which the fruit is boiled whole before being cut up, is easier and less time-consuming. It tends to create a darker, less delicate preserve – but that, of course, might be exactly what you want. I’ve given you both methods here ...
Sliced fruit method
Makes 5–6 x 450g jars
1kg Seville oranges
75ml lemon juice
2kg demerara sugar
Scrub the oranges, remove the buttons at the top of the fruit, then cut in half. Squeeze out the juice and keep to one side. Using a sharp knife, slice the peel, pith and all, into thin, medium or chunky shreds, according to your preference. Put the sliced peel into a bowl with the orange juice and cover with 2.5 litres water. Leave to soak overnight or for up to 24 hours.
Transfer the whole mixture to a preserving pan, bring to the boil then simmer slowly, covered, until the peel is tender. This should take approximately 2 hours, by which time the contents of the pan will have reduced by about one-third.
Stir in the lemon juice and sugar. Bring the marmalade to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached (see here), about 20–25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 8–10 minutes – a little longer if the peel is in very chunky pieces – then stir gently to disperse any scum, pour into warm, sterilised jars (see here) and seal immediately. Use within 2 years.
Seville orange marmalade
Whole fruit method
Makes 5 x 450g jars
1kg Seville oranges
75ml lemon juice
2kg granulated sugar
Scrub the fruit, remove the buttons at the top and put it, whole, into a preserving pan with 2.5 litres water. Bring to the boil then simmer, covered, for 2–2½ hours or until the orange skins are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork.
When cool enough to handle, take the oranges out. Measure and keep the cooking water – you should have about 1.7 litres. Make it up to this amount with more water if you have less, or bring to the boil and reduce if you have more.
Cut the oranges in half and remove the pips with a fork, flicking them into a bowl. Strain any juice from the pips back into the cooking water, then discard the pips.
Meanwhile, cut up the orange peel and flesh into thick, medium or thin shreds. Put the cut-up fruit into the strained cooking liquid. Add the lemon juice and sugar and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached (see here), about 10–15 minutes.
Leave to cool for 10–12 minutes – a little longer if you’ve cut the peel into very chunky pieces – then stir gently to disperse any scum, pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Use within 2 years.
Variations
You can use both methods for making many other delicious marmalades:
Lemon marmalade with honey Use 1kg lemons instead of oranges, and omit the extra lemon juice. Replace 250g of the sugar with honey, adding it at the same time.
Three-fruit marmalade Use a mixture of grapefruit, lemons and sweet oranges to make up a total of 1kg fruit.
Seville and ginger marmalade Replace 250g of the sugar with 250g chopped crystallised stem ginger, adding it along with the sugar.
Whisky marmalade Add 50ml whisky to the marmalade at the end of cooking.
‘Ruby red’ marmalade Both pink grapefruits and blood oranges make wonderful marmalades, though I prefer to use the sliced fruit method for these fruits. Add 100ml freshly squeezed lemon juice to every 1kg of fruit.
P.S. Don’t limit marmalade to the breakfast table, for its traits and qualities can be well used in other culinary ways. I like to replace candied peel in fruit cakes with a tablespoonful or two of marmalade, and always add some to my Christmas mincemeat (see here). Marmalade makes a marvellous glaze for oven-baked ham, as well as sweet and sour chicken or pork dishes. Best of all, 3 or 4 tablespoonfuls will make a glorious golden topping for a good old-fashioned steamed pud.
P.P.S. For generations, marmalade-makers have cooked up the mass of pips found inside citrus fruits in the belief that they are full of pectin. However, most of the pectin is actually found in the citrus peel and I rely purely on this for the setting power in my marmalades.
Early rhubarb jam
Season: mid-January to late March
Early or ‘forced’ rhubarb has been produced in West Yorkshire since the 1870s, as growers discovered that the heavy clay soil and cold winter climate suited the plant (a native of Siberia). In the ‘Rhubarb Triangle’ between Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds, the tradition continues to this day. Sequestered in dark sheds, carefully cultivated rhubarb ‘crowns’ send forth slender, bright-pink stems, much more delicate in flavour than the thick green shafts of outdoor-grown rhubarb that appear later in the year.
This is one of my favourite ways to capture the earthy flavour of rhubarb. It’s a plant that contains very little pectin so the jam definitely requires an extra dose. The shortish boil time helps to preserve the fabulous colour of the stems. I like to add a little Seville orange juice, but juice from sweet oranges works well too.
This light, soft jam is good mixed with yoghurt or spooned over ice cream, or you can warm it and use to glaze a bread and butter pudding after baking.
Makes 5 x 340g jars
1kg forced rhubarb (untrimmed weight)
900g jam sugar with added pectin
100ml freshly squeezed Seville or sweet orange juice
Wipe and trim the rhubarb and cut into 2–2.5cm chunks. Pour a layer of sugar into the bottom of a preserving pan, then add a layer of rhubarb. Repeat, continuing until all the sugar and rhubarb are used, finishing with a layer of sugar. Pour the orange juice over the top. Cover and leave for at least an hour or two – preferably overnight. This draws the juice from the rhubarb and the resulting syrup helps keep the rhubarb chunks whole when boiled.
Gently bring the mixture to the boil, stirring carefully without crushing the rhubarb pieces. Boil rapidly for 5–6 minutes, then test for setting point.
Remove from the heat and rest for 5 minutes before pouring into warm, sterilised jars. Seal immediately (see here). Use within 12 months.
Variations
Add 100g chopped crystallised stem ginger to the fruit, omitting the orange juice. Sharper-tasting maincrop rhubarb can also be used for this recipe – try adding a few young angelica leaves or a handful of fragrant rose petals.
Green gooseberry jam
with elderflower
Season: late May to June
I welcome the first tiny gooseberries that appear in the month of May, just as the first boughs of elderflower are beginning to show. The berries are picked when no bigger than my little thumbnail, almost as a thinning process, allowing their brothers and sisters to fill out and mature on the bush. But these early green goddesses are full of pectin, sharp and tart, and make a divine jam. The fragrant elderflowers add a flavour which will remind you, when the days are short and dark, that summer will come again.
Makes 5–6 x 340g jars
1kg young gooseberries
Around 8 heads of elderflower
1kg granulated sugar
Top and tail the
gooseberries (it’s easiest to just do this with a pair of scissors) and put into a preserving pan with 500ml water. Check the elderflower heads for any insects, then place on top of the gooseberries. Cook gently until the berries are soft but still hold their shape. Remove the elderflowers.
Add the sugar. Stir carefully, so as not to break up the fruit, until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 9–10 minutes. Test for setting point.
Remove from the heat, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then pot and seal (see here). Use within 12 months.
Variation
Use this recipe for later-season gooseberries, without the elderflowers. The fruit will be sweeter and the jam will have a soft pink colour.
P.S. To make a quick and easy piquant gooseberry sauce to go with mackerel, add a little cider or balsamic vinegar to warmed gooseberry jam (with or without elderflower). Let the flavours mix and mingle before spooning over the barbecued or grilled fish.
Strawberry jam
Season: May to August
After a dismal result with my strawberry jam at the 2007 Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Show, I decided to get my act together and work out a recipe that I could rely on to get me that much coveted first prize next time. My kitchen soon took on the appearance of a strawberry jam factory, with coded batches piled just about everywhere. I thought I’d nearly made the grade on batch three, but the tweaking for batch four caused mayhem in the jam pan. However, batch five seemed to come alive from the moment the lemon juice was added and I knew it was going to be just right – bright in colour with some soft whole fruit and, of course, that wonderful, intense strawberry taste.
Strawberries are low in pectin. Using sugar with added pectin helps to attain a lovely set and a flavour that isn’t too sickly-sweet. Use freshly picked, dry fruit – not too big, or they’ll blow to bits when the jam is bubbling away. However, if you’re using very small fruit, make sure they’re not too hard and seedy.