Gosh! This special jar of magic is so yummy and my whole kitchen smells heavenly.
I was on my last jar of Pear & Cranberry Jam so a new batch was an absolute must! It seems to be popular because it’s a little out of the ordinary from the regular Strawberry, Apricot and marmalade that we can easily find in the stores.
So here’s how I made this gorgeous tasty jam.
Pear & Cranberry Jam
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ kgs fresh pears
½ kg apples
1.3kgs white sugar
Lemon zest from 1 lemon
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 handfuls Dried Cranberries
METHOD
Chop and core the pear into chunks. Smaller chunks will result in a finer / smoother jam. I kept it quite big and chunky and I decided to leave the skin on this time.
Chop the apples a similar size to the pears. I peeled the apples and removed the cores.
I try to use slightly less sugar than the norm. Jam would usually be 1:1 fruit to sugar. I prefer to use 1:2/3 weight of fruit to 2/3 weight Sugar. The easiest way is to use a kitchen scale but in its absence you can put the cut fruit into a cup measure to see how many cups of fruit you have and then do 2/3s the amount of cups of sugar. In this case I had 2kgs of fruit and 1.3kgs Sugar.
Add the fruit, lemon zest and lemon juice to the pot and allow the fruit to soften on a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Stir regularly to prevent burning on the bottom.
Add the sugar and cranberries and continue on medium heat until the sugar has all dissolved. The liquid from the fruit will be pulled out by the sugar very quickly and begin to boil.
Boil on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes to help release the natural pectin from the fruit.
Stirring often!!! And watch that it doesn’t boil over.
Reduce heat back to medium-low and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes. The timing will vary depending on the heat of the stove and the amount of fruit being cooked.
The cooked jam starts to boil with a glossy bubble and becomes syrupy when it is ready. The fruit might not break down completely if it is slightly under ripe or has macerated in lemon juice and sugar. (Then it tends to hold its shape).
For this specific jam I love the rich golden colour and the way the fruit pieces are suspended in the jam along with the cranberries which rehydrate wonderfully. The liquid sets to a beautiful gel as it cools.
Remember to bottle your jam in HOT STERILISED JARS. Input my damp jars in the oven at 100•C for 10 minutes before the jam is ready and then spoon the hot jam into the hot jars. As the jars cool they form a good seal and can lay for months on the shelf. Once opened it’s best to refrigerate the jam.
I simply put the warm jars in a cool dark cupboard to cool and set. I find that refrigerating is unnecessary.
Pear & Cranberry is a wonderful addition to your cheese board this season or serve in a more traditional manner on scones or bagels. (Or your favourite quick piece of toast)
Let me know if you give this jam a try! I would love to hear from you. What is your favourite jam or preserve?
