Make the Bread, Buy the Butter - Jennifer Reese [104]
I don’t can fruit. But look at me now. Look at this book. How far does the apricot really fall from the tree? And I do like a homemade jam or relish.
Some jams are more worth making than others. Strawberry jam? Expensive and it tastes just like store-bought. On the other hand, there’s my mother’s orange-apricot conserve, the likes of which you will not find even in a gourmet supermarket.
ORANGE-APRICOT CONSERVE
This has the bite of orange, the sweet-tart tang of apricot, and the bitterness of apricot pits. About those pits: apricot pits contain trace amounts of cyanide and if that makes you nervous, leave them out. I grew up with this jam and am alive to write about it. I love their crunch.
This is not a canning manual. High-acid fruits and pickles are a very safe bet for the home canner, but for thorough instructions on canning and food safety, consult The Ball Blue Book of Preserving.
Make it or buy it? You can’t buy this jam. Make it.
Hassle: In the dictionary under “hassle” there should be a line drawing of a woman standing at a sweltering canning kettle, lifting out jars.
Cost comparison: You can’t really compare this with store-bought jam, as there is no product on the market like it. If you compare it with small-batch, artisanal jams, like those of June Taylor, the revered San Francisco Bay Area jam maker, per pint, this costs about half as much.
3 oranges
30 ripe apricots, about 3 pounds
Sugar
5 or 6 pint canning jars (you may well need fewer; it all depends on how much fruit you end up with, after measuring, which can vary)
1. Wash and slice the oranges thin, then chop. It is tempting, but don’t use the food processor, which will turn the oranges to mush; you want discernible chunks of peel and fruit. Measure and note how many cups you have. Put the orange in a wide, deep saucepan, add 1 cup water, and cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until the peel is tender.
2. Wash and chop the apricots, reserving the pits. Measure. Again, note how many cups you have. Add to the orange mixture on the stove. For every 4 cups fruit, both oranges and apricots, you need to add 3 cups sugar.
3. Simmer the jam, stirring regularly to avoid scorching. Meanwhile, put the apricot pits in a sealed plastic bag and smack with a hammer. You are trying to extract the almonds in the middle of the apricot pits. When you’ve freed about 6 almonds, cut them into slivers.
4. While the jam is simmering, put some pint jars to boil in a large pot of water. Let them boil for 15 minutes to sterilize. You can use recycled canning jars, but must use brand-new lids and screw tops every time you can. Put the lids in a pan of hot water, but do not boil.
5. After about 1 hour, when the jam is thick and jammy—but still brightly colored—stir in the slivered “almonds.” Ladle the jam into the jars. Put the caps on and gently screw on the lids. Sterilize in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the water and set on a clean, dry dish towel on the counter. You should hear the lids click when they seal. Store sealed jars in a cupboard for a year or more. Refrigerate after opening.
Makes 4 to 6 pints
CHUTNEY
For people who only step into the kitchen to fool around once in a great while, chutney is the ticket: Practically foolproof, it is always good and hard to ruin. There is nothing like a homemade condiment, and, besides, you will never have to buy another bottle of wine to take to a dinner party.
—Laurie Colwin, More Home Cooking
A fine novelist and the most charming of food writers, the late Laurie Colwin was correct about almost everything, but when she got it wrong, she got it badly wrong. She got it wrong about chutney.
First of all, if you step into the kitchen only once in a great while, I can think of many more gratifying projects you might tackle before chutney. In no particular order: molasses cookies, fudge, duck à l’orange.
And while I agree it is hard to ruin chutney,