For the holidays this year, I decided I’d make as many gifts as possible rather than go the traditional route of buying people more stuff they didn’t want or need. I made cookies and candies and a bunch of other stuff, but the biggest hit seems to be the homemade jam (I made a Pomegranate Orange Marmalade).
Unfortunately, now it seems like I can’t stop making the stuff! In fact, I just pulled a batch of Cranberry Pear Lemon off the stove and it’s already gotten the seal of approval from The Boy.
So, Dopers, please help support my habit… got any jam recipes to share?
I do not have any jam recipes, but have you ever tried making fruit butters? I ask because I’m hoping to try to make some pear butter someday to put in pear butter pie. They look easy peasy, but the proof’s in the pudd… er… butter!
I really enjoy this recipe for Cranberry-Orange Jam, but it’s not as tart as I’d like. I’m considering replacing some of the water with pomegranate juice, but I’m not sure how that would affect things.
I am too sadly disorganized to have a recipe w’ measurements and everything, but my dear mother is quite fond of my strawberry-blueberry jam made with honey. Jam with sugar rather than honey takes a little longer to boil down, but it’s worth it my opinion. Just make sure you use the weight, not volume, of sugar called for in the original recipe.
jsgoddess, I have a recipe for a pear and ginger fruit butter that I’m planning on trying out once we work our way through this batch of cranberry-pear. I’ll let you know if it turns out.
I’m very intrigued by the idea of using honey instead of sugar, also… but I think I’ll wait until I’ve done a few more batches using recipes, just so I can get a good feel for the whole thing. I’d hate to ruin a lovely batch of jam because I didn’t get the proportions right.
PS - I’m having the cranberry-pear jam for breakfast today. It’s pleasantly tangy, barely sweet at all.
