"Strawberry jam is, apparently, one of the trickiest to make, since strawberries are low in pectin, the stuff that makes a jam gel.
"Very soft-set jam can get away with being called a 'conserve', but even a conserve needs to be able to hold its shape."
Advice: use jam sugar with added pectin.
If that seems to be a cop out, add lemon juice (about half a lemon per 500g of fruit) or some high-pectin fruit: gooseberries, redcurrants or cooking apple. And stick to slightly underripe, or only just ripe, fruit: it's naturally higher in pectin than very ripe fruit.
Sugar is another area of confusion. The finer the sugar the more impurities lurk, causing scum in jam.
So, for the brightest jams and jewel-clear jellies, coarse-grained "preserving sugar" is best.
Granulated sugar will do, but the jam will need extra skimming. Caster sugar is too fine, and makes murky jams. "Jam sugar" is granulated sugar with extra pectin, great for less-than-confident jam makers.
Start testing your boiling jam for a set as soon as the bubbles start to increase in size and the mixture feels a little thicker when poured off a spoon. Take the pan off the heat and put a few drops on a chilled saucer. After a couple of minutes a skin should form that wrinkles when pushed with a finger: if not, boil for a few more minutes.
When it comes to potting up, leave the jam for at least 10 minutes (longer for big batches), so that it thickens and the fruit doesn't rise to the top of the jar.
Meanwhile heat the empty jars in the oven set at 130C.
Skim any white scum off the surface of the jam and discard, then ladle the jam into the hot jars, filling them to the neck - a jam funnel, available from kitchen shops, is invaluable here.
While still hot, top with a disc of waxed paper, or circles of greaseproof brushed on both sides with vodka, and screw on the lids - use metal ones lined with plastic, not plastic coffee jar- type lids.
Jam-making serenity lies in sticking to fairly small quantities - 900g of fruit at most - and leaving huge batches to the experts. Small amounts seem to reach setting point more quickly and are easier to monitor for burning.
Strawberry jam with blackcurrant.
Pectin-rich blackcurrants bring out the strawberry flavour, adding richness and depth of flavour.
Cardamom seeds, a teaspoon of rosewater, a tablespoon of Grand Marnier or chopped fresh mint can be added to strawberry jam before potting up.
-225g blackcurrants (черной смородины)
-900g strawberries (halved if large, but small whole ones are best)
-900g preserving, granulated or jam sugar
Put the blackcurrants in a small pan and cook on a low heat until the fruit is very soft and collapsing.
Rub through a sieve to make a smooth purée.
Pour into a pan with the strawberries and sugar.
Heat gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Then boil rapidly to setting point. Pot as described.
blackcurrant/черная смородина (ru)
"Very soft-set jam can get away with being called a 'conserve', but even a conserve needs to be able to hold its shape."
Advice: use jam sugar with added pectin.
If that seems to be a cop out, add lemon juice (about half a lemon per 500g of fruit) or some high-pectin fruit: gooseberries, redcurrants or cooking apple. And stick to slightly underripe, or only just ripe, fruit: it's naturally higher in pectin than very ripe fruit.
Sugar is another area of confusion. The finer the sugar the more impurities lurk, causing scum in jam.
So, for the brightest jams and jewel-clear jellies, coarse-grained "preserving sugar" is best.
Granulated sugar will do, but the jam will need extra skimming. Caster sugar is too fine, and makes murky jams. "Jam sugar" is granulated sugar with extra pectin, great for less-than-confident jam makers.
Start testing your boiling jam for a set as soon as the bubbles start to increase in size and the mixture feels a little thicker when poured off a spoon. Take the pan off the heat and put a few drops on a chilled saucer. After a couple of minutes a skin should form that wrinkles when pushed with a finger: if not, boil for a few more minutes.
When it comes to potting up, leave the jam for at least 10 minutes (longer for big batches), so that it thickens and the fruit doesn't rise to the top of the jar.
Meanwhile heat the empty jars in the oven set at 130C.
Skim any white scum off the surface of the jam and discard, then ladle the jam into the hot jars, filling them to the neck - a jam funnel, available from kitchen shops, is invaluable here.
While still hot, top with a disc of waxed paper, or circles of greaseproof brushed on both sides with vodka, and screw on the lids - use metal ones lined with plastic, not plastic coffee jar- type lids.
Jam-making serenity lies in sticking to fairly small quantities - 900g of fruit at most - and leaving huge batches to the experts. Small amounts seem to reach setting point more quickly and are easier to monitor for burning.
Strawberry jam with blackcurrant.
Pectin-rich blackcurrants bring out the strawberry flavour, adding richness and depth of flavour.
Cardamom seeds, a teaspoon of rosewater, a tablespoon of Grand Marnier or chopped fresh mint can be added to strawberry jam before potting up.
-225g blackcurrants (черной смородины)
-900g strawberries (halved if large, but small whole ones are best)
-900g preserving, granulated or jam sugar
Put the blackcurrants in a small pan and cook on a low heat until the fruit is very soft and collapsing.
Rub through a sieve to make a smooth purée.
Pour into a pan with the strawberries and sugar.
Heat gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Then boil rapidly to setting point. Pot as described.
blackcurrant/черная смородина (ru)
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