It’s been a busy week and I know that next week is going to be even more nuts than usual so here’s a really yummy Apple and Cinnamon Jam recipe to light up your life and invigorate your taste buds.
Apple and Cinnamon jam is like eating apple pie without the pie! Just add it to scone, toast, or a cheese board. (Or make an apple crumble!)
I have been preparing for 2 Christmas Markets this week so I have been “jamming” every day to build up my stock. This recipe was my last addition so this afternoon I peeled the many apples and got cooking.
I have found that 2 to 2½ kgs of fruit is a good amount for the size of my pot and delivers a decent yield or 6-10 jars depending on the fruit and the cooking time.
I have also nailed down a 60% fruit to 40% sugar ration that seems to work well across all of the fruit that I use. Some just need to boil a little longer than others. I don’t use any additional pectin as my aim is to keep it naturally home made and a locally produced seasonal product, so as few ingredients as possible is ideal.
INGREDIENTS
2-2.5kgs Apples (I used Grant Smith and Golden Delicious apples)
1.6kgs White sugar
60ml lemon juice
½ lemon zest
2 apricot or peach pips
2 small teaspoons of ground cinnamon
APPLE & CINNAMON JAM TIME LAPSE
This afternoon I peeled 2.2 kilograms of apples. I bought a small digital kitchen scale at my local grocery store and it works a charm! It wasn’t expensive and it saves me so much time.
After peeling the apples I chop them into smallish cubes, removing the apple core. All leftovers go into the compost heap to eventually help fertilise the garden. Weigh the chopped apple, taking into account the weight of the plastic bowl (mine is roughly 200g).
My pressure cooker pot is the perfect Jam Pot! It has a thick base and deep sides and is a 7 litre pot which allowed room for the jam to boil without worrying about it boiling over (it’s happened before - what a sticky mess…)
Add the apples and lemon juice and zest to the pot, stir, and then put the pressure cooker lid on for 5 minutes to soften the apples.
When the apples are softened, add the sugar to the pot and the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Stir well. The sugar will draw out all the liquid from the apples and the cinnamon will add a lovely golden brown colour.
Once the sugar is dissolved add the 2 peach pips to the pot. The pips help to add more natural pectin so that the jam sets.
Allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes on medium heat. Then turn the heat down to medium - low for another 20-30 minutes.
Stir every couple minutes to prevent any burning on the bottom.
The jam should be reasonably thick and chunky. As the jam cools you can stir in any bubbly froth that may have formed. If this doesn’t completely get rid of it, then you can either scoop the froth off or add a teaspoon of butter which helps dissolve the froth.
Spoon the jam into sterilised, HOT jars and immediately tighten the lid. Allow to cool to room temperature and then store in a call dark place.
Let me know if you give this recipe a try. It’s really yummy and worth amazing it yourself. You can add less Cinnamon if that’s what you prefer.
Hope this sweetens your week!
