Preserves

by Pam Corbin

  Makes 4–5 x 340g jars

  1kg strawberries, hulled, large ones halved or quartered

  500g granulated sugar

  450g jam sugar with added pectin

  150ml lemon juice

  Put 200g of the strawberries into a preserving pan with 200g of the granulated sugar. Crush to a pulp with a potato masher. Place the pan on a gentle heat and, when the fruit mixture is warm, add the rest of the strawberries. Very gently bring to simmering point, agitating the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to prevent the fruit from sticking. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the strawberries to soften just a little.

  Add the remaining granulated sugar and the jam sugar. Stir gently to prevent the sugar sticking and burning on the bottom of the pan. When the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon juice. Increase the heat and, when the mixture reaches a full boil, boil rapidly for 8–9 minutes. Then test for setting point.

  Remove from the heat and, if the surface is scummy, stir gently until the scum has dispersed. Pot and seal (see here). Use within 12 months.

  Redcurrant jelly

  Season: June to mid-July

  Redcurrants make a superb and very versatile jelly. In addition, their juice can be turned into a delicious alcoholic cordial (here). The redcurrant season is short, just a few weeks in midsummer, so make sure you don’t miss it. If you haven’t time to make your jelly straight away, you can pick the currants and freeze for later.

  This is an endlessly useful jelly. A classic tracklement to accompany roast lamb or game, you can also use it to enhance the flavour of gravies, casseroles and piquant sauces. It makes an excellent glaze for fresh fruit tarts too.

  Makes 4–5 x 225g jars

  1kg redcurrants

  Granulated sugar

  You don’t have to top and tail the currants, or even take them off their stalks. Simply wash them, put into a preserving pan with 400ml water, then simmer until they are very soft and have released all their juice. This will take about 45 minutes. Strain through a jelly bag for several hours, or overnight. Do not poke, squeeze or force the pulp through the bag or you’ll get a cloudy jelly.

  Measure the juice, put into the cleaned preserving pan and bring to the boil. For every 600ml juice add 450g sugar, adding it only when the juice is boiling. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, ensuring the sides of the pan are free of undissolved sugar crystals. Then boil rapidly for about 8 minutes or until setting point is reached.

  Remove from the heat and stir to disperse any scum, then pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal. Tap the jars to disperse any air bubbles caught in the jelly. Use within 12 months.

  Variation

  Add a couple of tablespoonfuls of chopped fresh mint to the redcurrant jelly for the last 2–3 minutes of boiling.

  P.S. Redcurrant jelly is the core ingredient of Cumberland sauce, a traditional partner to baked ham and game. Just add 50ml port, the grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, a pinch or two of mustard powder and perhaps a pinch of ground ginger to 200g redcurrant jelly.

  Redcurrant jelly

  Mum’s blackcurrant jam

  Season: June to August

  In my jam company days, when we would produce nearly 15,000 jars of preserves each week, my mum would still bring me jars of her home-made blackcurrant jam. Sometimes I wondered if I needed another jar in the house, but I always enjoyed it immensely – blackcurrant jam is an all-time favourite, with a flavour that is rarely rivalled. It’s also very easy to make. The key is to ensure that the blackcurrants are softened sufficiently before the sugar is added, or the skins will toughen and be unpleasantly chewy.

  Use this in all the usual jammy ways with bread, toast, pancakes, yoghurt, rice pudding, cakes, tarts and, of course, scones and clotted cream.

  Makes 7–8 x 340g jars

  1kg blackcurrants

  1.5kg golden granulated sugar

  Pick over the blackcurrants, removing any stalks, twiggy bits or damaged fruit (the dry shrivelled bit at one end is the remains of the flower and need not be removed).

  Put the currants into a preserving pan with 600ml water. Place over a low heat and slowly bring to simmering point. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until the fruit is soft but not disintegrated into a pulp.

  Add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Then bring quickly to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and continue to stir gently for a couple of minutes to reduce the temperature. Test for setting point.

  Let the jam cool a little and make sure the currants aren’t bobbing above the surface when you pour it into warm, sterilised jam jars. If they are, then let the jam cool a little longer, and if they really won’t submerge, then bring the pan back to the boil and boil for a couple more minutes.

  P.S. The bittersweet leaves of the blackcurrant bush can be used as a substitute for tea. Simply infuse the leaves in boiling water, leave for 10 minutes then serve sweetened with a little honey.

  Hugh’s prize-winning

  raspberry fridge jam

  Season: June to October

  Hugh F-W, whose recipe this is, thinks the secret of success is to pick the raspberries on a hot, dry day, aiming for a good mixture of ripe and almost-ripe fruit, then to make the jam immediately – to capture the full flavour of the berries.

  The light boiling and lower-than-normal quantity of sugar produce a loose, soft-set jam with a fresh, tangy flavour. Low-sugar jams of this type are often called fridge jams. In fact, as long as it is capped when still above 90°C, this preserve will keep well in the store cupboard. However, once it is opened, you must keep it in the fridge. It won’t last long after opening – maybe 2 or 3 weeks – but as it tastes so very, very good, this is unlikely to be a problem. It’s one of those things you’ll find yourself eating straight from the jar, maybe in the middle of the night!

  This light, soft jam is fantastic in cakes or sherry trifles or stirred into creamy rice puddings. Best of all, layer it with toasted oatmeal, cream, Drambuie and honey for a take on the traditional Scottish pudding, cranachan.

  Makes 6 x 340g jars

  1.5kg raspberries

  750g jam sugar with added pectin

  Start by picking over the raspberries very carefully and discarding any leaves or stalks. Put half the fruit into a preserving pan and use a potato masher to roughly crush it. Add the remaining fruit and sugar (the mixture will look mouth-wateringly good).

  Stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a rolling boil then boil for exactly 5 minutes. (If you prefer a firmer jam, then continue boiling at this stage for a further 2–3 minutes). Remove from the heat, stirring to disperse any scum.

  It is important to pour and cap this low-sugar jam quickly (see here), but you must allow it to cool just a little first (give it 5–6 minutes) to prevent all those little raspberry pips rushing to the top of the jar, leaving you with half a jar of raspberry jelly and half a jar of raspberry pips.

  Variation

  Flavourful ripe strawberries give very good results with this simple recipe too. Hull the strawberries, halve or quarter larger ones and continue as above.

  Plum jam

  Season: August to September

  Plums make a lovely jam and are rich in pectin and easy to prepare, so this is a great recipe for beginners. Just make sure the plums are tender and their skins well softened before adding the sugar. If not, the sugar hardens the skins and they’ll be tough in the finished jam; they will also float to the top of the jar.

  The widely available ‘Victoria’ is a first-rate jam plum but you can make a good preserve with others, including ‘Early Rivers’, ‘Czar’ and the yellow, egg-like ‘Pershore’, as well as greengages and smaller hedgerow plums such as bullaces and damsons.

  Makes 8 x 340g jars

  1.5kg plums

  1.25kg granulated sugar

  Halve and stone the plums. Crack a few of the stones open, using nutcrackers, and extract the kernels. Put these into a basin and cover with boi
ling water. Leave for a minute or so, then drain them and rub off the reddish-brown skin. The kernels will add a lovely almond-like flavour to the jam.

  Put the plums, skinned kernels and 400ml water into a preserving pan. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is tender and the skins soft – this should take about 20 minutes but depends on the variety and size of plum.

  Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to boiling point and boil rapidly until setting point is reached, usually 10–12 minutes. Remove from the heat. If the fruit is bobbing about at the surface, it’s probably not cooked well enough (the sugar is heavier than the plums, and the jam must cook sufficiently for the fruit to absorb the sugar). If this happens, boil for a further 2–4 minutes.

  Pot the jam and cover (see here). Use within 12 months.

  Variations

  Replace some of the water with freshly squeezed orange juice and/or add 2 cinnamon sticks. Another nice twist is to add 100g chopped walnuts to the jam towards the end of the boiling time.

  Apple, herb and flower jellies

  Season: late summer to autumn

  The aromatic essences of fresh herbs and flowers can be captured beautifully in a jelly. These preserves are great to have in the kitchen as they add a sweet piquancy to all kinds of food, simple and rich. Cooking apples and crab apples are both ideal choices for the basic jelly. Excellent sources of pectin and acid, they nevertheless have gentle flavours that will not overwhelm the herbs.

  Serve mint jelly with lamb, sage with fish, basil with poultry or game, parsley with ham or gammon, and rose-petal jelly (see below) with wafer-thin bread and butter. Any herb jelly will also be delicious with soft cheeses, pâtés and terrines.

  Makes 5–6 x 225g jars

  1.5kg cooking apples

  1 medium bunch of sage, rosemary, mint, tarragon, thyme or basil

  Granulated sugar

  100ml cider vinegar

  Roughly chop the apples, discarding any bad parts, but don’t peel or core them. Place in a preserving pan with the herbs, reserving half a dozen small sprigs to put into the jars. Barely cover the apples with water. Bring to the boil then simmer gently, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the fruit is very soft. Tip the contents of the pan into a jelly bag or piece of muslin suspended over a bowl (see here) and leave to drip for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

  Measure the strained juice. For every 600ml, weigh out 450g sugar. Return the juice to the cleaned-out pan, with the vinegar. Heat to boiling point then add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 10–12 minutes or until setting point is reached. Remove from the heat and skim with a slotted spoon to remove any scum.

  Pour into small, warm, sterilised jars, adding a herb sprig to each. Cover and seal (see here). Use within 12 months.

  Variations

  For stronger-flavoured jellies, you can add 3–4 tbsp freshly chopped herbs after removing the jelly from the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before potting. For exquisite rose-petal or dandelion jelly, add 25g scented petals instead of herbs. The above method can also be used to make quince and medlar jellies, replacing the apples with your chosen fruit and leaving out the herbs.

  Blackberry and apple leather

  Season: late August to September

  Fruit leathers are thin, pliable sheets of dried, sweetened fruit purée with a flexible consistency exactly like leather. To be truthful, I had always avoided making them, thinking they sounded complicated. But, in a spirit of experimentation, I decided to try some out for this book. They were a revelation. I discovered how easy it is to create these strong, semi-transparent sheets, and how versatile they are. They are fun to use and eat – you can cut them, roll them, fold them and pack them away. Light and easy to carry, they’re full of fruity energy, so great for lunch boxes or long walks. Snip off pieces to dissolve gently into fruit salads, or save them for the festive season when their translucent, jewel-like colours will look gorgeous on the Christmas tree.

  Makes 2 sheets of 24 x 30cm

  500g blackberries

  500g peeled, cored and chopped cooking apples (2–3 large apples)

  Juice of 1 lemon

  150g honey

  Preheat the oven to a very low setting – I use 60°C/Gas Mark ⅛ (approximately). Line two baking sheets, measuring about 24 x 30cm, with baking parchment.

  Put the blackberries, apples and lemon juice into a pan. Cook gently until soft and pulpy, about 20 minutes. Rub the mixture through a sieve or mouli into a bowl; you should have about 700g smooth fruit purée. Add the honey and mix well.

  Divide the purée between the two baking sheets. Spread it out lightly with the back of a spoon until the purée covers the sheets in a thin, even layer.

  Put the baking sheets in the oven and leave for 12–18 hours, until the fruit purée is completely dry and peels off the parchment easily. Roll up the leather in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. Use within 5 months.

  Variations

  There is no end to the possible variations here – you can turn any fruit into a leather. All you need do is create a smooth, thick purée with your chosen fruit before drying it out. Try plums, spicing the purée with a little cinnamon; or peaches, infusing them with a few honeysuckle blossoms as they cook. For a savoury leather use half and half apples and tomatoes seasoned with 2 tsp souper mix or celery salt.

  Blackberry and apple leather

  Bramley lemon curd

  Season: late August to January

  When I made preserves for a living, I tried all kinds of curds, from orange to passion fruit, but none of them was ever quite as popular as the good old-fashioned lemon variety. I didn’t think I could improve on it until recently, when I came across an old recipe for an appley lemon curd. I tried it out and I now prefer it even to a classic straight lemon curd – it’s like eating apples and custard: softly sweet, tangy and quite, quite delicious.

  Makes 5 x 225g jars

  450g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped

  Finely grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons (you need 100ml strained juice)

  125g unsalted butter

  450g granulated sugar

  4–5 large eggs, well beaten (you need 200ml beaten egg)

  Put the chopped apples into a pan with 100ml water and the lemon zest. Cook gently until soft and fluffy, then either beat to a purée with a wooden spoon or rub through a nylon sieve.

  Put the butter, sugar, lemon juice and apple purée into a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture is hot and glossy, pour in the eggs through a sieve, and whisk with a balloon whisk. If the fruit purée is too hot when the beaten egg is added, the egg will ‘split’. One way to guard against this is to check the temperature of the purée with a sugar thermometer – it should be no higher than 55–60°C when the egg is added. If your curd does split, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.

  Stir the mixture over a gentle heat, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few minutes, until thick and creamy. This will take 9–10 minutes; the temperature should reach 82–84°C on a sugar thermometer. Immediately pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal. Use within 4 weeks. Once opened, keep in the fridge.

  Variations

  To make gooseberry curd, replace the apples with gooseberries. If you’d like to go for a traditional, pure lemon curd, simply leave out the apples, increase the lemon juice to 200ml (4–5 lemons) and add the grated zest of 2–3 lemons.

  Bramley lemon curd

  Hedgerow jelly

  Season: September to October

  The months of September and October allow us to reap the berried treasure of the hedgerows – a seasonal activity that is not without its dangers as many wild fruits are guarded by all sorts of thorns, prickles and entangling stems. However, with a little common sense and determination you should be able to overcome these country hurdles, and the basketful of fruit you bring home will b
e a just reward.

  At the heart of all the best hedgerow jellies is the crab apple (Malus sylvestris). The pectin in this often scarred and scabby pomaceous fruit lends the setting power that many hedgerow berries lack. Crab apples produce a stunning pink jelly when used on their own, too.

  For this recipe, you can use crab apples, sloes, bullaces, hips, haws, blackberries, elderberries or rowan berries. Usually, I go for about 50 per cent crab apples with a combination of two or three different berries. If I’ve gathered rosehips or rowan berries, however, I prefer to use them on their own, blended only with crab apple (see the variations overleaf).

  Makes 7–8 x 225g jars

  1kg crab apples (or cooking apples)

  1kg mixed hedgerow berries (see above)

  Around 900g granulated sugar

  Pick over your fruit, removing stalks and leafy bits and rinsing the berries if necessary. Don’t peel or core the apples (the peel and core are an excellent source of pectin), just chop them roughly. Place all the prepared fruit in a saucepan with 1.2 litres water. Bring gently to simmering point and simmer until all the fruit is soft and pulpy. Remove from the heat.

  Have ready a scalded jelly bag or muslin cloth and turn the contents of the pan into it. Leave to drip overnight. The jelly will turn cloudy if you squeeze the juice through so just let it drip at its own pace.

  The next day, measure the juice – you will probably have about 1.2 litres, though this will depend on the berries used. For every 600ml juice, allow 450g sugar. Put the juice into a large pan and bring slowly to the boil. Add the sugar as it just comes to the boil and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Then boil rapidly, without stirring, for 9–10 minutes until setting point is reached. Skim the jelly and pot and seal as quickly as possible (see here). Use within 12 months.

  Variations