08 Aug Raspberry Jam

Raspberries are one of my favourite fruits. The luminous pink colour and tart flavour work so well in many desserts. Jam is a wonderful way to concentrate that juicy raspberry flavour so you can enjoy it anytime. My ultimate is spreading it onto a warm and crispy buttered croissant.

Compared to a jelly, which is a transparent gel made of fruit juice and sugar, jam generally has chunks of fruit and is more spreadable. To classify as a jam, the finished product must contain 60% sugar. Yes, it’s a lot! The sugar doesn’t only sweeten the jam though, it also assists in it setting, as well as preserving the fruit. So don’t be tempted to reduce it. Although it is possible to make jam without pectin, using pectin means you don’t need to cook your jam for ages to get it to setting point. As a result the jam will have a fresher flavour and more natural colour. And you won’t be standing over a hot stove for hours!

Ingredients:

500g raspberries, fresh or frozen*
500g white sugar
10g Earth Products Apple Pectin (available at Faithful to Nature)

Directions:

• Sterilise your jars by washing the in very hot, soapy water or running through the hot cycle of a dishwasher. Place the wet jars onto a baking tray and place into an oven at 160°C for 10-15 minutes. If you are using jars with screw-top lids or rubber gaskets, don’t dry the lids or gaskets in the oven – just air-dry them in a colander after boiling.
• Place 3 saucers into the freezer.
• Place the raspberries into a large saucepan (the jam will double in volume during cooking) and heat on low heat for 5 minutes.
• Whisk the pectin into the sugar and add to the warmed raspberries. Bring to the boil, and boil rapidly for 5 minutes.
• Test the setting point: take the saucer out of the freezer and drop a little of the mixture onto it. Leave it for a minute, then press it with your finger. If it has formed a skin and is starting to feel like jam, the mixture is ready. If it is still runny then continue to boil for an additional 2 minutes, then test again on a fresh saucer.
• Repeat this process until the setting point is reached. Alternatively if you have a sugar thermometer, cook the mixture to 104°C.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then scoop off any scum that may have formed on the surface.
• Ladle the hot jam into the warm, sterilised jars. Seal and label the jars.
• The jam will keep, unopened for 6 months at room temperature. Refrigerate once opened.

*If you prefer a seedless jam,  you can sieve the warmed raspberries before adding the sugar/pectin mixture. In this case you will need about 1kg of raspberries to yield 500g of seedless raspberry purée. For a chunkier jam, set aside half the raspberries and add them to the mixture after the sugar has dissolved.