Paul Crowley

After an early evening nap (that lasted rather longer than planned - I am really quite tired from assorted Stuff and Things lately) I made some jam to take to the Niecelings tomorrow. Because I wasn’t sure what they’d think about Rhubarb (personally I love it as a jam, usually with cardamom) and there isn’t much ekse that’s jam-able and in season I used bought frozen fruit - a mix of Cherries and Blueberries with Balsamic Vinegar instead of the usual lemon juice for the acid component in the fruit-pectin/sugar/acid jamification trio. It’s made something really red tasting and deep that I can imagine as a topping for fancy vanilla ice cream or as the filling of a cheesecake (if I have time before getting on a train tomorrow I plan to bake some into some blondies with white chocolate chunks)

It’s loosely based on this recipe but with reduced sugar (US recipes are almost always for super-set, high sugar, heat processed jams that will last on a shelf for years - I prefer a soft set texture even though it’s less long lasting (a small batch like this doesn’t need to last more than a few months))


Empty a 400g packet of frozen cherries and a 400g packet of frozen blueberries into a large, wide pan (more surface areas means quicker evaporation and is therefore quicker to reach jamifying temperature and you need plenty of room to allow for the mix to boil up) the pour over 600g of jam sugar (the kind with pectin already added) and something over two and a half tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (I was going for 3 spoonfuls but it was the end of a bottle). Leave it for a bit for the fruit to melt and the sugar to start dissolving (and for you to have a nap)

When you are ready to continue, sterilise some jam jars and lids (I ended up completely filling four 228ml jars with a tiny scrape of jam left in the bottom of the pan to eat with some yoghurt) and heat the mixture over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Stir occasionally. Once it’s reasonably liquid and there aren’t visible sugar crystals turn the heat up to high and stir more regularly. It’ll do the standard jam thing of getting to boiling reasonably fast then hovering just below jamification temperature (104.5C) for ages - but if you don’t pay attention and check regularly and keep stirring it’ll go too far and scorch on the bottom of the pan. It’s a good time to listen to a podcast. Once it gets to jam temperature (check a couple of times with a good hard stir in between to be sure it’s not just a hot spot) check for set with a cold metal spoon (it should clip together and fall of in a gloopy way not like a liquid and when you poke the film of jam left on the back of the spoon it should wrinkle). Then turn of the heat and stir it for five minutes as it cools (I was taught the short cooling period helps the lumps of fruit be more evenly distributed but you want it to still be pretty hot when you jar it to keep everything sterile). Then pour it into the jars (I always put waxed paper discs on top of the jar before screwing the lids on as an extra seal - then once I’ve filled all the jars i retighten the lids and briefly flip them upside before storing them (back the right way up) to eliminate air bubbles (which are a potential site for mould to develop)). Leave the jars to stand undisturbed at least overnight (ideally for 24 hours but I’m not going to manage that) to give the jam time to set fully. Enjoy any leftovers (I had it with yoghurt) when it’s cool enough to eat seriously don’t try to taste it too quickly and end up burning your tongue - no jam is delicious enough to be worth that!