Fig and earl grey jam (pictured above)
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 9 x 220g jars
1.5kg ripe figs (I use Turkish ones)
10g loose earl grey tea leaves (with or without cornflowers)
1kg caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Slice the figs in half, put flat-side down on a board and cut into 5mm slices. Put all the fruit in a heavy-based saucepan with the tea leaves and set over a low heat for five minutes. The aim is to release the tea flavours alongside the natural fig juices.
Slowly add the sugar and lemon juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up to high and cook for about 10 minutes, checking every so often that the jam is not sticking, until it reaches setting point – 105C/220F on a sugar thermometer.
Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.
Greengage and pecan jam
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 7 x 220g jars
1.6kg greengages, halved and stoned
150ml water
800g caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
150g pecan halves
Put the greengages in a heavy-based saucepan with the water (so that they don’t stick), set over a medium heat and cook for five minutes.
Once they start to break down, slowly add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the pecans into small pieces, but try to keep them slightly chunky so that they add some texture to the finished jam.
Add the pecans to the pan and cook for eight minutes, until the jam reaches setting point – 105C/220F on a sugar thermometer. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.
Sadly greengages aren’t available at most grocery shops, but if you keep an eye out you should find some at farmers’ markets or speciality grocers. Try and look out for Reine Claude, which is an early French variety, or Cambridge Gage, which tends to be a darker blue-green.
Roasted yellow peach and fennel jam
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Makes 10 x 220g jars
2 large fennel bulbs with stalks (green fronds reserved), sliced vertically into long, flat pieces
2kg yellow peaches, halved and stoned
150g demerara sugar
900g caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Heat the oven to 130C/265F/gas ½.
Put the fennel slices in an ovenproof dish in a single layer and rest the peach halves on them, cut-side up. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and roast for about an hour, until the peaches are cooked and starting to colour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.
Transfer the peaches, including the skins and juices (discarding the fennel pieces), to a heavy-based saucepan and set over a low heat. Tear up any of the green fennel fronds and scatter them over the peaches.
Add the caster sugar and lemon juice, and cook for 10 minutes, until the jam reaches setting point – 105C/220F on a sugar thermometer. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.
Greek tomato jam
Prep 20 min
Cook 30 min
Makes 5 x 220g jars
1.6kg tomatoes
2 cinnamon sticks
650g caster sugar
200ml apple cider vinegar (preferably one that has a mother in it)
To prepare the tomatoes, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and have a large bowl of iced water ready. Use a small knife to carve a little cross into the base of each tomato.
Drop them into the boiling water for one minute, then remove using a slotted spoon or tongs and immediately put in the iced water. You may need to do this in a few batches, depending on the size of the saucepan. Leave the tomatoes to cool completely in the iced water for five minutes, then drain. Starting from the bottom of the tomato, you will now be able to peel the skins off the flesh.*
Halve and then quarter each skinned tomato and put in a heavy-based saucepan with the cinnamon and cook for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down.
Slowly add the sugar and vinegar, and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, until the jam reaches setting point – 105C/220F on a sugar thermometer. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.
* Another way to peel tomatoes is to halve them horizontally and put, cut-side down, in a roasting tin, and slow-roast them in an oven heated to 130C/265F/gas ½ for 30-40 minutes. Don’t add any oil, as this will give the jam an oily finish on top. Peel off the skins and cook as above.
All recipes from Five Seasons of Jam by Lillie O’Brien (Kyle Books)
