BLOOD ORANGE CONFITURE

Blood Orange from Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber

Ingredients:
About 2 3/4 pounds (1.2 kg) blood oranges, or 2 cups 1 ounce (500g/50cl) juice
1 3/4 pounds (750g) Granny Smith apples
4 2/3 cup (1 kg) sugar plus 1 cup (200 g)
3 cups 2 ounces (750 g/75 cl) water plus 7 ounces (200 g/20 cl)
2 oranges
Juice of 1 small lemon

Directions:

Rinse the apples in cold water. Remove the stems and cut them into quarters without peeling them. Put them in a preserving pan and cover with 3 cups 2 ounces (75 g/75 cl) water.

Bring the apple mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. The apples will be soft.

Collect the juice by pouring the preparation into a chinois sieve, pressing lightly on the fruit with the back of the skimmer. Filter the juice a second time by pouring it through cheesecloth previously wet and wrung out, letting the juice run freely.  It is best to leave the juice overnight refrigerated.

Next day…

***NOT IN CHRISTINE FERBER’S RECIPE, BUT A SAFETY STEP I RECOMMEND.

Process the jars, screw bands, and lids in a water bath. Sterilize jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Put lids in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and keep warm. Put bands aside while jars and lids boil.

(back to Christine’s recipe)

Measure 2 cups 1 ounce (500 g/50 cl) juice, leaving in the bowl the sediment that formed overnight, to have clearer jelly.

Squeeze the 2 3/4 pounds (1.2 kg) blood oranges. Measure 2 cups 1 ounces (500 g/50 cl) juice and put the seeds into a cheesecloth bag.

Rinse and brush the 2 oranges in cold water and slice them into very thin rounds. In a preserving pan, poach the rounds with 1 cup (200 g) sugar and 7 ounces (200 g/20 cl) water. Continue cooking at a boil until the slices are translucent.

Add the apple juice, 4 2/3 cups (1 kg) sugar, lemon juice, and seeds in the cheesecloth bag. Bring to a boil, stirring gently. Skim. Continue cooking on high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Skim again if need be. Remove the cheesecloth with the seeds. Return to a boil. Put the jam into jars immediately and seal.

Yield: 6-7 8-ounce jars

**I added 1 ounce of Campari before returning to a boil in an effort to keep the reddish color of the blood oranges. When Christine Ferber uses wine, beer, or liquor in a recipe this is where she adds it. I welcome feedback on this recipe. I want to get this right and your tips can only help!!

FIG JAM

Fig Jam with Lemon and Pineapple Sage
Fig Jam with Lemon and Pineapple Sage

CourseCondiment, Jam
CuisinePreserving


Servings Prep Time
5half pints 15minutes

Cook Time Passive Time
15minutes 24hours


Ingredients


2lbs figs
1-1/2 lemonswell washed
1/2cup honey
1cup sugar
1/2cup brown sugar
Pinch salt
6small leaves pineapple sage
Instructions


Wash figs. Put in pan that can hold them in one layer if possible. Pour boiling water over them. Let to stand for 10 minutes, then drain. Quarter the figs and place in a large preserving or other non-reactive pan.
Thinly slice the lemons and remove the seeds. Add the sliced lemons and the honey, sugar and sage to the figs.
Bring the ingredients to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and honey. Pour the mixture into a non-reactive bowl, cover with parchment (it should touch the mixture) and refrigerate overnight.
After the night of maceration pour the mixture back into the preserving pan and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for five minutes. Remove the pineapple sage or other herb.
Pour hot jam into sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

RASPBERRY JAM

Raspberry Jam

1 lb of raspberries (they should be very firm)

2 cups of sugar

2 tbsp of lemon juice.

You don’t need to wash the raspberries, just pick through them for
leaves. The godmother of jam, Christine Ferber, says that if you wash them, you take some of the flavour off. Also, the cooking temperature is sufficient to make it safe.

Place the lemon juice and raspberries in a pan and turn on the heat.
Stir and when the raspberries begin to give off their juice, add the sugar
pouring it in slowly. Stir continually until all the sugar is dissolved. Let
the mixture boil over medium heat until you see sheeting on the spoon when you hold it up. You will also see jell around the individual seeds. If you aren’t sure, take the jam off the heat, place a teaspoon full on a small glass plate, and put in the freezer for 3 minutes. The jam will crinkle up when pushed with your finger. When done, pour into your clean jar that has been in a 250o oven for 10 minutes. Let cool and then refrigerate.

Raspberry Habanero

Take about ¼ to ½ of a Habanero pepper and blend with a small amount of jam half way through the cooking process. All peppers are not equal so you can adjust the heat up from there if that is your preference.

Raspberry Champagne

Add 2 tbsp of Champagne or other sparkling wine at the end of the
cooking process right before you are ready to take the jam off the heat. Stir.

WILD BLACKBERRY JAM

Christine Ferber's Wild Blackberry Jam

2 1/4 pounds Wild Blackberries
3 3/4 pounds granulated sugar (I use Trader Joe's Organic)
Juice of one lemon (or two if you like your jam less sweet)

Pick over the blackberries.Rinse them quickly in cold water without soaking them. In a preserving pan, combine the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. Pour into a ceramic bowl. Cover the fruit with a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, bring this preparation to a bowl, stirring gently. Continue cooking on high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring and skimming carefully. Return to a boil. Check the set. Put the jam into jars immediately and seal.

RASPBERRY VIOLET JAM

Raspberry Violet Jam

Prep time: 5 mins

 

Cook time: 10 mins

 

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: Makes a bit less than 1 pint

I should mention that if you don't have violet syrup, this is a wonderful straight up raspberry jam, too, so you can proceed with the recipes sans the syrup.

Ingredients

• 320 grams red raspberries
• 320 grams granulated natural cane sugar
• Peelings from 1 granny smith apple
• 2-inch piece of lemon rind (with the white pith intact)
• 1 tablespoon Violet Syrup

Instructions

1. At least 2 hours before setting out to make the jam, place a small dish in the freezer.
2. Add the raspberries, sugar, apple peels, lemon, and violet syrup to a deep pot. Give everything a good stir to combine.
3. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, over high heat. Use a spoon to skim the foam from the top. Don’t skip this step, or you’ll end up with a cloudy jam. After a few minutes, the foam will mostly subside.
4. Reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer (with bubbles constantly popping to the surface). Let the jam continue to cook until thickened enough to generously coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. At this point, you can start testing your jam for doneness. Remove the dish from the freezer, and drizzle a small amount on the plate. Tilt the plate sideways, and if it holds in place without being too runny, then it’s ready. The consistency will still be thin. Don’t worry it will thicken, and set up further as it cools.
5. Remove, and discard, the apple peels and lemon from the pot.
6. Spoon the hot jam into 1 pint jar, or 2 half-pint jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes, if storing long term, or skip processing, and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

PUMPKIN JAM WITH VANILLA BEAN

Pumpkin Jam with Vanilla Bean

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/2 lb (700 g) pumpkin, cut to a fine julienne (approximately matchstick size)
• juice of 1 lemon (scant 1/4 cup or 50 g)
• 200 mL (200 g, or approx. 7/8 cup) orange juice (from 4 oranges)
• 2 lbs (900 g, 4 and 1/4 cups) sugar
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

METHODS

1. Day 1. Chop pumpkin in half; scoop out seeds and stringy flesh (reserve seeds for roasting). Slice into 1-inch sections; trim any stringy interior with a sharp knife, and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.  Slice into fine julienne (matchsticks), taking care to keep the pieces similar in size.  Tranfer to a large glass or ceramic bowl.  Add lemon and orange juice, sugar and vanilla beans to pumpkin.  Stir well to mix and dissolve sugar; cover bowl and macerate fruit overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Day 2. Pour macerated fruit into a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, return to bowl, cover, and refrigerate for another day.  Fruit should start to look transluscent and the entire mixture will darken in color.
3. Day 3. If canning, prepare canner, jars and lids (see Options for notes on canning safety!). Pour macerated fruit into a preserving pan or large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Skim foam. Continue boiling over high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove vanilla pods to a small bowl, and trim into jar-sized lengths (you’ll divide these among the jars).  Return mixture to a boil and cook until the set point: 220 degrees F (or 8 degrees F higher than boiling water on your thermometer), or wrinkles in the frozen plate test, or sheets off the back of a spoon.  Add 1 or 2 pieces of vanilla bean to each hot, sterilized jar and fill with hot jam to 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims, affix lids, and allow to set at room temperature before storing in the refrigerator.

Yields about 5 cups.

STRAWBERRY JAM-THE FRENCH WAY

Strawberry Jam–The French Way

Makes 4 or 5 half-pints

Author: Christine Ferber

Recipe type: Preserves

Cuisine: French

Prep time:  48 hours

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  48 hours 30 mins

Serves: 4 or 5 half pints

Ruby red and sweet, perfect jewels of strawberry goodness bursting with the deep flavor of spring. Three ingredients plus two days equals the perfect spread for your morning toast or afternoon tea and scones!

Ingredients

• 2½ pounds fresh organic strawberries
• 4 cups granulated organic sugar
• Juice of one small lemon

Instructions

1. Wash, dry, and hull your strawberries. Place the strawberries into a large ceramic bowl. Stir in the sugar and the lemon juice.
2. Store in the refrigerator overnight covered with a piece of parchment paper.
3. Next day, bring the strawberries to a simmer in a wide-bottomed pan or a preserving pan. Pour into a ceramic bowl. Cover with parchment paper and store in the refrigerator overnight.
4. On the third day, pour the contents into a sieve. Bring the collected syrup to a boil, skim, and continue cooking on high heat until a candy thermometer reaches 221 degrees.
5. Meanwhile set up your water bath canner, sterilize your jars and warm your lids in a pan of hot water. See link in Kate's Tips.
6. The syrup will be sufficiently concentrated at 221 degrees (105 degrees C) on a candy thermometer.
7. When you've reached 221 degrees, add the strawberries and return to a boil on high heat. Skim and boil for five minutes, stirring gently. Check the set. You can do this by placing a small plate in your freezer when you begin cooking the berries. When the jam has cooked for 5 minutes, drizzle a teaspoon full on the frozen plate and place back in your freezer for one minute. Take it out and you should be able to run your finger through the jam without the jam filling in the space left by your finger. If the jam is still runny, cook another couple minutes and test it again.
8. The strawberries will be translucent and beautiful!
9. Pour the jam into sterilized jars and either cool and store in your refrigerator or freezer or can in a boiling water bath.