Now I don’t mean jamming in the musical sense, although I expect that would be a lovely, calming experience too even if you can’t play a note in tune, like me. No, I mean playing with hot sugar, fruit and jam jars. Honestly making jam is really therapeutic and calming and not only that, if you start doing it now,you can make brilliant Christmas presents. It’s a real myth that you have to make vast quantities of jam or marmalade every single time which can put people off making it. If you choose and weigh your ingredients carefully, you can experiement with flavours and only make small amounts, then go ahead and make masses if you want to or just make it a little at a time.
One of the key challenges of making jam, is understanding when the jam has reached setting point and the beauty of experimenting with really small quantities is that they set very quickly. Everyone has their own preferred methods of checking, but I always place a couple of saucers in the freezer before I start cooking, and then when you think your jam is ready, take it off the heat and drop a teaspoonful on to the cold plate. If you push it with your finger it should wrinkle, that means it will set.
English forced rhubard, with its pretty pink colouring and sharp taste is a noble ingredient at the best of time and is wonderful in crumbles and fools, but combine it with crytallised ginger and you have a jam made in heaven, and so, so easy. You will need:
- 275g chopped, washed rhubarb (English forced pink is best)
- 275g preserving sugar with pectin
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon (or more if you really like it) of chopped, crystallised ginger
- 2 small jam jars with lids
Method:
- Place your clean jam jars in the oven for 10 minutes on regulo 4/Gas 180 or 160 fan to sterilise them
- Immerse the lids in boiling water (I just pour it over them from the kettle) and wipe them dry with clean kitchen roll
- Simply place the washed rhubard and lemon juice in a non-stick pan over a low heat until the fruit is soft, takes 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar and stir gently until it is absorbed
- Increase the heat until it is bubbling – be careful not to do it for too long, mine only took 2 minutes to reach setting point
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then stir in the chopped crystallised ginger
- Pour or spoon the mixture into the hot jam jars (place waxed circles on top if you wish) and place the lids on the jars
This is so delicious with hot toast and butter, or Katy just eats it by the spoonful straight from the jar. It would be wonderful in a microwave sponge pudding or with scones. The joy is, that with small quantities you can try any flavours you like – plum and vanilla (Thanks Debbie, for that suggestion), blackberry and star anise, lime and ginger or orange and chocolate chip marmalades (or is that just wrong- jaffa cake marmalade?), the possibilities are endless. Watch this space for suggested christmas presents – flavoured oils, vodkas and a special Christmas jam recipe.
The Bombay Boys 