Christmas Jam Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making jam? ›

Use fresh, dry, slightly under-ripe fruit. Strawberries and raspberries are best layered with the sugar and left for a couple of hours before cooking. Plums, currants, gooseberries, cherries etc need to be lightly poached before sugar is added. Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set.

(2)Most jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. I usually use a 75 % ratio, or 1 ½ pounds of sugar to every 2 pounds of fruit, unless the fruit is not very sweet, in which case, I adjust accordingly.

To set, jam needs pectin from the fruit and some varieties have more than others. For extra pectin, add a muslin pouch of lemon rind and seeds. Cook the fruit in a heavy-based pan until it's very soft but still holds its shape. This releases pectin and means your jam won't have tough bits of fruit.

The best jams strike a balance among three ingredients: fruit, sugar and acid. Peak-season fruit is thickened with granulated sugar, which, along with an acid like lemon or lime juice, helps enhance its flavor.

Coarse-grain white granulated sugar is best for jam-making as it ensures a good clear jam, but fine caster sugar can also be used. The coarse grains dissolve more slowly and evenly, giving a better result. Granulated sugar with added pectin is also available, but it shouldn't be necessary to use this.

Lemon juice contains natural pectin, a substance found in the cell walls of fruits that helps to thicken and set the jam or jelly. Pectin is crucial for achieving the desired consistency and texture in jams and jellies.

5. Do Not Stir Once Mixture Is Boiling. Once your jam/marmalade it has reached a rapid rolling boil do not stir it. Stirring it will alter the temperature of the jam/marmalade meaning it will take longer to reach the setting point.

It's important to add the jam sugar at the right time. If you add it in too early, the sugar can cause the fruit to break down and become mushy. If added too late, the jam may not set properly.

With a simple lemon juice trick, your homemade jam will achieve your desired thick texture. Preparing jam is about capturing the sweet essence of the fruit while simultaneously cooking it down to the perfect syrupy consistency.

How long should I boil jam for? ›

The fruit and sugar need plenty of time to cook and thicken. Jam starts to get thick after 20 minutes of a steady boil. A jam is done if it makes a clear path in a frozen spoon when you run your finger through it.

Lemons vary in ripeness and therefore the amount of acid might not be adequate for the jam to achieve the proper set. The best way to ensure you are adding enough acid is to go with a commercial bottled lemon juice because these are controlled and standardized, so the acid content is assured and more reliable.

Whole spices such as cardamom pods, allspice berries, black peppercorns, whole cloves, or cinnamon sticks can be infused in a sachet while the jam cooks, or small amounts of ground spices can be added directly in. Warm spices pair especially well with fruit, and a little goes a long way, so taste as you go!

What if I open a jar of my jam or jelly and it isn't sweet enough to suit my taste? For an immediate fix, gently stir some additional sweetener into the jar. Another option is to empty the jar into a small saucepan. Add the sweetener you want to the mixture in the pan and bring to a boil, stirring well for 1 minute.

If you really want to thicken it to a more spreadable consistency, the easiest way is to heat it up with some thickeners such as cornstarch. Arrowroot flour is more delicate and taste-neutral, but most cooks won't have it. Unflavored gelatin may also be used. Bring the syrupy “jam” to boil in a pot.

If you simply take fruit and cook it with some sugar to sweeten it a little, it will get thick enough to turn into jam by the naturally occurring pectin in the fruit and the process of reduction. Reduction occurs when we simmer the fruit, and the liquid turns to steam and evaporates, which thickens the jam.

The butter prevents the jam from foaming while you're cooking it - the foam is unattractive and spoils the appearance of the jam. Adding a little butter eliminates this problem."