Food & Drink, Recipes

What We’re Reading This Week: Jam Session: A Fruit Preserving Handbook

By Monica Michael Willis on August 8, 2018

Aug 08, 2018

Monica Michael Willis

The pages of Joyce Goldstein's Jam Session hold the answer to what to do with your overflowing garden this summer.

Photography Ed Anderson, 2018

The recipes contained within these pages are not your grandma’s preserves. By Ed Anderson, 2018.

A former Chez Panisse chef and the author of 28 book, Goldstein offers up 75 time-tested recipes, all organized by type of fruit and seasonal availability. She includes the ABCs of safety and process as well as flavor-forward variations on classic preserves, including bright peach jam spiked with lime zest and chiles and a Meyer lemon chutney that’s a cross between Indian lemon pickle and marmalade. Having a well-stocked pantry filled with homemade preserves and condiments can elevate even the most basic meal, councils the author. “A spoonful of chutney or marmalade added to the deglazing liquids in the sauté pan will enliven a chicken or veal piccata, and the addition of preserved quince, figs, or lemon enhances a lamb tagine. And simple store-bought vanilla ice cream or pound cake becomes festive with spiced cherry preserves spooned on top,” notes Goldstein. Read on for three of Goldstein’s most flavorful summer recipes.

Peach-Lime Salsa-Jam

With the addition of serrano chiles and lime juice, this peachy preserve becomes more of a cross between a salsa and jam. Try it on a bagel with cream cheese, spread on a chicken or ham sandwich, or dolloped onto pork chops or duck breasts.

2 pounds peaches
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 serrano chiles (stems removed)
Walnut-size knob of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced thin)
Pinch of salt
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
5 half-pint jars (sterilized)

Bring a stockpot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Peel peaches by dipping them in the boiling water for a minute or two, and then dunking them in ice water. The peels should slip off. If not, use a peeler with a serrated swivel blade. Halve the peaches, remove pits, and dice flesh. You should have 6 to 7 cups.
In a large preserving pot, add peaches, sugar, and lemon juice and toss to combine. Let peach mixture sit for a few hours or overnight to macerate.
In a small food processor, pulverize chiles with ginger and salt. Add to macerated peach mixture in pot. Stir in lime zest and juice. Meanwhile, bring two stockpots filled with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches to a boil over medium-high heat. If the sterilized jars have cooled, place them on a baking sheet and reheat in a 300°F oven. Simmer lids in a saucepan of hot water.
Bring the peach mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until jam thickens and reaches 220°F on a candy thermometer. Remove the pot from the heat.
Place hot, sterilized jars on a clean baking sheet. Ladle jam into jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars clean and set lids on mouths of jars. Twist on rings. Using a jar lifter, gently lower jars into pots of boiling water on stove. When water returns to a boil, decrease heat to an active simmer, and process jars for 10 minutes before turning off heat. Let jars rest in water for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Using jar lifter, transfer jars from pots to a clean baking sheet and allow to rest for at least 6 hours or until completely cooled. Check to be sure jars have sealed. Label and store sealed jam for up to 2 years. Once open, store in refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Moroccan-Spiced Cherry Tomato Jam

While you can use both red and yellow cherry tomatoes for this preserve, red varieties tend to hold their color longer. Serve the condiment with lamb burgers or chops, roast chicken or turkey, even grilled eggplant.

8 ounces fresh ginger (peeled and thinly sliced across the grain)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup apple cider vinegar
4 pints cherry tomatoes (8 cups, stems removed)
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large (juicy lemons, sliced paper-thin (preferably on a mandolin) into rounds, seeded, and slices cut into eighths)
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon salt (plus more as needed)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 pint jars or 8 to 10 half-pint jars (sterilized)

In the container of a food processor or blender, grind ginger with cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and cloves and vinegar. In a large preserving pot over high heat, add vinegar-spice mixture, tomatoes, brown and granulated sugars, lemon slices, water, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring jam to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring two stockpots filled with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches to a boil over medium-high heat. If the sterilized jars have cooled, place them on a baking sheet and reheat in a 300°F oven. Simmer lids in a saucepan of hot water.
When the tomato jam has thickened and reaches 220°F on a candy thermometer, remove the pot from the heat. Season mixture to taste with salt, if desired.
Place hot, sterilized jars on a clean baking sheet. Ladle jam into jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars clean and set lids on mouths of jars. Twist on rings. Using a jar lifter, gently lower jars into pots of boiling water on stove. When water returns to a boil, decrease heat to an active simmer, and process jars for 10 minutes before turning off heat. Let jars rest in water for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Using jar lifter, transfer jars from pots to a clean baking sheet and allow to rest for at least 6 hours or until completely cooled. Check to be sure jars have sealed. Label and store sealed jam for up to 2 years. Once open, store in refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Red Plum Jam with Star Anise and Black Pepper

If you like a bit of a kick, double the black pepper in this jam. Pair it with pork and poultry or serve it alongside an assortment of cheeses.

4 pounds red plums (halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 8 cups))
6 cups granulated sugar
1 cup prune juice or pomegranate juice
Juice of 2 lemons (about 6 tablespoons, plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon ground star anise
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
8 half-pint jars (sterilized)

In a large preserving pot, add all ingredients and toss to combine. Bring plum mixture to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the jam thickens. Meanwhile, bring two stockpots filled with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches to a boil over medium-high heat. If the sterilized half-pint jars have cooled, place them on a baking sheet and reheat in a 300°F oven. Simmer lids in a saucepan of hot water.
Taste fruit mixture and adjust the seasoning, adding a squeeze more lemon juice or more pepper, if needed. When the jam coats the back of a wooden spoon and reaches 220°F on a candy thermometer, remove the pot from the heat.
Place hot, sterilized jars on a clean baking sheet. Ladle jam into jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars clean and set lids on mouths of jars. Twist on rings. Using a jar lifter, gently lower jars into pots of boiling water on stove. When water returns to a boil, decrease heat to an active simmer, and process jars for 10 minutes before turning off heat. Let jars rest in water for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Using jar lifter, transfer jars from pots to a clean baking sheet and allow to rest for at least 6 hours or until completely cooled. Check to be sure jars have sealed. Label and store sealed jam for up to 2 years. Once open, store in refrigerator for up to 3 months.

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