I love apples. Apple pie. Apple Crisp. Apple Fritters. Baked Apples. Apple slices with peanut butter. Gorgonzola Apple Walnut salad. Waldorf salad.
Out of hand, an apple polished up on your jeans, eaten in the garden on a crisp fall day.
When I found this recipe somewhere on the web years ago, I was thrilled to have a way to enjoy apples in jam form. This sweet, caramel flavored, traditional style jam (firm set) is not only wonderful on toast, but warmed and spread between layers of yellow cake? Divine. Or spooned into mini tarts. Mmmm. Oh, fill cheddar thumbprint cookies with this jam. So unexpected.
Or back to the grilled cheese sandwich (you're going to think I'm obsessed) - try sharp cheddar and apple pie jam on multi grain bread. Slip in some thin slices of apple, too.
This is a great jam to practice using commercial pectin. It's easy as - well - pie!
To avoid fruit float, be very mindful of the timing. One minute means sixty seconds. At a BOIL YOU CAN'T STIR DOWN. That's seriously boiling. Sixty seconds. No more. Fruit float is often caused by over processing, and that's the trickiest part of this recipe.
I've got a dozen tickets to give away to the first three comments from local DC folks (four tickets each.)
(I'll also be at Strosnider's Hardware Store in Bethesda on Saturday. The two sessions have sold out, but I'm delighted to report we're discussing a series of canning demonstrations for 2011.)
Apple Pie Jam
Makes 6 half pints
About 8-10 mixed firm crisp apples
2 Tbls lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I use Ceylon cinnamon in this recipe)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 box pectin
4 c white sugar
1 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp butter
Peel and finely dice the apples. Pack them firmly into a 4 cup measure.
Add water in between all the apple pieces to fill to 4 cups.
Put the apples, water, lemon juice and spices in the preserving pan and sprinkle the pectin over the fruit. Stir well
Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
Add both sugars, stir well and bring back up to a full rolling boil for EXACTLY one minute. Do not stop stirring.
Remove from heat. Stir in the pinch of butter to reduce the foam. Skim off any foam that remains.
Ladle into hot, clean jars leaving 1/4" headspace.
Wipe the jar rims and threads.
Cover with lid and ring.
Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.
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| It was one of those days in the kitchen. |
