Making jam is a proven way not only to stock up on the living energy of summer, but also to fill your home with old-fashioned charm and comfort.
The first and main association with the word “jam” is, of course, home comfort, seasoned with a little bit of old-fashioned slowness and solidity.
Even the Romans preserved figs (figs) and other fruits by boiling them in honey until transparent. And in the XNUMXth century in Russia, the ability to make delicious jam was considered (along with French, playing the piano and the ability to write watercolors) one of the essential qualities of an exemplary bride. The art of making jam was taught in all kinds of boarding houses and institutes for noble maidens, and it was about jam that the landowner wives considered it appropriate to gossip among themselves (which Pushkin mentions, not without irony, in Eugene Onegin).
In the old days, jam was the most affordable sweet and winter source of vitamins, besides, it had a long shelf life and was considered almost a strategic preparation. In our days of total abundance, it would seem that there is no particular need to cook it: in stores you can find dozens of varieties of jam, marmalade and marmalade. But home-made (or, as they used to say, “samovar”) jam has one unique feature: sorting through berries or fruits, removing foams and pouring the resulting sweet thick broth into jars, we store for the future not so much fruits as happy memories of summer. The process of cooking jam is like meditation – it requires a special attitude, composure, inner peace. And there are relatively few technological difficulties in it.
The first subtlety is a properly prepared syrup. For jam from dense fruits (apples, quinces or hard pears), a relatively liquid syrup is suitable, which professionals call a “thin thread”: if you squeeze and then quickly unclench your fingers soaked in such a syrup, a thin, quickly tearing sugar string should form between them. For softer and juicier fruits (apricots, peaches, figs), you will need a slightly denser consistency, and for delicate berries (like strawberries or raspberries), the syrup should be very thick: to dilute the fingers soaked in it, a certain effort will be required, and the resulting with them, the sugar thread will be thick and durable. While the syrup is boiling, it must be stirred, removing the resulting foam, and after it boils, you cannot touch it: any object immersed in the syrup can lead to its crystallization and clouding. If you plan to store the jam for a long time, add a little rum to the syrup – one to two tablespoons per liter will ensure the preservation of the jam and give it a light flavor.
The second important rule is that jam should never be overcooked. Overcooked jam has an ugly brown color and is practically odorless, the fruits in it are not evenly distributed over the syrup, but either float on the surface or lie at the bottom. To avoid mistakes, the famous Russian culinary specialist William Pokhlebkin recommends cooking the jam in several steps: after boiling for 15-20 minutes, remove from heat, cool, and repeat the operation after two or three hours. And for the most tender, easily boiled berries (for example, raspberries or strawberries), Pokhlebkin suggests the so-called separate cooking method: the berries should be poured with boiling syrup, cooled, and then the syrup mixed with the released berry juice should be drained again, boiled again, poured into berries, etc. – until the jam acquires a rich color and aroma, and the berries become slightly transparent.
In the cuisines of different nations, there are magnificent jams and jams from bell peppers, young eggplants and zucchini, as well as the famous green tomato jam, especially popular in Italy and Spain. It is prepared very simply: immerse unripe tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, cut into halves and remove the skin and seeds with juice. Rub the juice through a sieve and mix with the pulp cut into thin slices, add sugar in an amount of one to one and leave overnight. In the morning, add orange and lemon zest, lemon juice and a few cardamom seeds and cook over very low heat until boiling. Boil for five to seven minutes (tomatoes should acquire a beautiful amber color), remove the zest and spices, cool a little and pour into jars. This jam does not have a tomato flavor and rather resembles apricot or peach – it is good to serve with pancakes, cheesecakes or as an exquisite addition to cheeses.
Having uncorked a jar of homemade jam, you will immediately feel the summer heat enveloping you: each berry, immersed in a transparent syrup, like a charged battery, stores energy, without which we cannot do in a rainy autumn or cold winter.
Rose petal jam
2 cans of 0,5 liters. Cooking time: 45 minutes.
- 200 g red scented oil rose petals
- 1 kg of sugar
- 2 cup water
- 1 tsp tartaric or citric acid.
Remove the petals from the flower, cut off the hard white part with scissors. Boil liquid syrup from sugar and water, add the petals and cook over medium heat until the syrup is ready (to check, pour a spoonful of syrup on a flat saucer and slide a strip in the middle with your finger or spoon. If the edges of the strip close, the syrup is not ready yet). After that, add citric or tartaric acid and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly and pour warm into pre-sterilized jars.