Jams are among my favourite things to make and enjoy for many reasons, mainly because they use the whole fruit, wasting nearly nothing, and they are simply perfect on a piece of toast, as a cake filling or frosting, as well as pancake and waffle topping. There is no wrong way of enjoying homemade jam.
This is a lovely and bright flavour combination, especially with just a touch of white rum, just to brighten it up a bit further. It does not use a lot of sugar, as the fruit is in its prime now, ripe and delightfully sweet, and the tiny addition of vanilla makes it taste like candy.
My tips for success
This is a small batch of jam, one of the smallest I make. Because of that, it cooks down very quickly, so it is best to keep it on medium to medium-low heat, depending on how hot your stove runs, and stir it constantly. That way, it cooks evenly and does not burn on the bottom.
Now, I chose to purée the jam so it spreads nicely onto toast, but you can most definitely leave it as is, leaving some of the fruit pieces intact. That is also a wonderful jam texture, without a doubt, and equally useful for cakes and pastries.
On a final note, you can remove the skins off the peaches if you wish, but I did not. If you remove it, the jam will be somewhat lighter in colour than mine, but the flavour will not be affected in any way.
Ingredients
200 grams ripe mango pieces
100 grams ripe peaches
200 grams ripe apricots
200 grams granulated sugar
1 small lemon, juice only
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
½ teaspoon white rum
Preparation
Remove all the stones from the fruit, dice and weigh it, and place it into a large non-reactive pot. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Stir very well, so the sugar is evenly distributed, and let the fruit macerate for about an hour or so.
Once it has released its liquid, the pot over medium heat, and let it very slowly come to a boil. As soon as it starts to bubble, start the timer, and cook for about 35-40 minutes, stirring almost constantly, removing any foam that appears on the surface.
As this is a tiny batch of jam, the cooking process is quick. After about 30 minutes or so, purée the jam completely with an immersion blender, and check if it has reached its setting point, either by dropping a teaspoon of it onto a chilled plate, and seeing if it sets after about a minute, or by inserting a candy thermometer and making sure it has reached 105°C. If not, continue cooking and checking in 5-minute intervals until set. The longer you cook it, the deeper the colour and flavour will get.
Once the jam reaches its setting point, remove it from the heat, add in the vanilla and rum, and stir very well. Let it cool down for about 10 and pour it into a sterilised jar, closing the lid tightly. Keep it in a dark and cool place, or in the refrigerator, for the best possible taste. Yields 350 grams of jam.
