Seasonal
PRESERVES
Introduction
Types of preserves
Equipment
Techniques
Spring
Spiced rhubarb and apple jam
Pineapple and stem ginger conserve
Lemon curd
Apple, cider and rhubarb butter
Lime and ginger curd
Preserved lemons
Chilli, lime and vodka jelly
Tarragon vinegar
Grape, apple and rosemary jelly
Herb oil
Sweet dill mustard
Spicy banana and date chutney
Caramelized red onion chutney
Aromatic salt
Hot harissa sauce
Yogurt cheese in flavoured oil
Coconut, lime and chilli relish
Lemon vodka
Fresh limeade
Pink ginger cordial
Summer
Blueberry and vanilla jam
Honeyed apricots
Strawberry jam
Raspberry jam
Apricot jam
Peach and redcurrant jam
Gooseberry and elderflower jam
Blackcurrant jam
Redcurrant jelly
Soft fruit and lavender jelly
Cherry and orange conserve
Rose petal and apple conserve
Peach and apple jelly
Saffron and apricot jelly
Soft fruit and drambuie butter
Raspberry and mint curd
Summer fruits in mulled rosé
Olives marinated in provençal oil
Green olive and peppercorn sauce
Courgettes in walnut oil
Cucumber, dill and mustard pickle
Elderflower cordial
Soft fruit cordial
Cherry and almond ratafia
Raspberry vinegar
Autumn
Plum jam
Blackberry and apple jam
Bramble jelly
Crab apple jelly
Mulled plum jelly
Quince jelly
Minted apple jelly
Pear, lemon and cardamom marmalade
Tomato marmalade
Simple apple chutney
Damson cheese
Chilli tomato chutney
Pumpkin and ginger chutney
Moroccan spiced plum chutney
Aubergine, walnut and smoked garlic chutney
Red pepper and coriander relish
Jalapeño chilli and corn relish
Pickled beetroot and red cabbage
Pickled garden vegetables
Whole pickled chillies
Vanilla pickled plums
Baby onions in balsamic vinegar
Saffron pickled pears
Roasted peppers in cider vinegar
Oven-dried tomatoes in fennel oil
Smokey barbecue sauce
Tomato ketchup
Chinese plum sauce
Bramble cassis
Mulberry wine
Winter
Chestnut conserve
Cranberry jelly with winter spices
Tangerine jelly with star anise
Spiced pomegranate jelly
Ruby orange marmalade
Seville orange marmalade
Orange, sultana and whisky marmalade
Melon and grapefruit marmalade
Pink grapefruit marmalade
Pineapple cheese
Passionfruit curd
Spiced cranberry and pear cheese
Sweet pickled cranberries
Hot mango chutney
Mostarda
Indian lime pickle
Hazelnuts in caramel
Pecans in maple syrup
Marsala steeped raisins
Almond and amaretti mincemeat
Sloe gin
Cranberry and apple mincemeat
Clementines in brandied caramel
Figs in spiced syrup
Index
As a form of cooking, preserving is so unlike any other. Instead of labouring in the kitchen to provide regular meals – which are gone in ten minutes – preserving has quite the opposite outcome. Jars, pots and bottles are filled with tempting treats that will last right through the year, providing a feast of flavours for topping toast, filling cakes, spooning over snacks or simply dipping into whenever you get the urge. This is why preserving is one of my favourite forms of cooking and something I never tire of. I also love using seasonal produce, both from the garden and those I buy when at their best, so I can be sure of their good provenance and therefore good results! Even better is the fun of foraging for free food. Gathering elderflower heads for cordial and brambles for jelly are two of my therapeutic seasonal rituals. Making preserves has a reputation for being at the least slightly tricky and time consuming, but this isn’t the case. Boiling up fruit with sugar to make jam is really not difficult, and throwing a selection of vegetables into a pan for chutney is about as simple as it gets. The recipes in this book provide a selection of both classic and more innovative recipes for jams, jellies, marmalades, chutneys and other less obvious preserves. Generally, they make manageable quantities too. No one, after all, wants to live on the same flavour marmalade for years! If you do get carried away on the preserve trail, share them out or give as presents. Any foodie friend would no doubt prefer a personalized, designer-potted preserve to a mass-produced box of chocolates.
The seasonal recipes you will find on the following pages include the classic preserves, such as jams and chutneys, as well as some more unusual oils, vinegars and fruits in syrup.
jams The jams in this book range from the classic favourite Strawberry (page 50) to the less conventional Spiced Rhubarb and Apple (page 21) and Blueberry and Vanilla (page 49). Mid- to late summer is traditional jam-making season and the aroma of soft summer fruits, bubbling away in their syrupy juices, is certainly one of the best. Conserves are a type of jam in which larger pieces of fruit are suspended in a sweet syrup. They don’t set as firmly as jams, and their syrupy juices will no doubt run all over the plate of whatever they’re accompanying. Use them more as a fabulous topping for ice cream, sponge cakes or creamy yogurt.
jellies Of all the homemade preserves, it’s the jellies that I find most absorbing to make, possibly due to their gorgeous colours, which range from the palest pastels to deep burgundy reds. Some cooks might be put off making jellies because of the need to strain them for several hours (or overnight if made late in the day), but straining really is so easy if you use the simple method on page 10. Even easier is the fact that there’s so little fruit preparation beforehand; cores, stalks, skins, pips and stones are all thrown in the pan for the initial cooking and only larger fruits need a rough chopping first.
marmalades Marmalades generally require a bit more preparation than other preserves. Cut the shreds as finely or as thickly as you prefer – using a food processor is a quick and easy way of finely chopping the peel if you don’t like a proper ‘shredded’ marmalade. One watchpoint is the consistency of the cooked peel before adding any sugar. A piece of softened peel, lifted from the pan, should be soft and fall apart between your fingers. Once the sugar is added the peel won’t soften any more and the cooked shreds will have a hard, chewy texture.
fruit curds and cheeses A tangy fruit curd is another preserve that can readily be bought but simply doesn’t have the vibrant flavour of a homemade one. Fruit ‘cheeses’ bear no relation to dairy produce but are instead, a preserve made by cooking fresh fruits to a thick, pulpy paste. Sweetened and flavoured with spices, or simply left plain, they make a great addition to the cheeseboard in a similar vane to Membrillo, the Spanish quince cheese served with tapas. Fruit ‘butters’ have a softer consistency than fruit cheeses and are served as you would jam.
chutneys and relishes Chutneys and relishes can be made at any time of year, but the abundant supplies of fruit and vegetables in late summer makes this the most practical time for potting up supplies to take you through the winter. Most chutneys are best left for a couple of weeks before use to let their flavours mingle and mellow and from then on will keep well, and taste good, almost until you’re ready to make the next batch. Relishes are made in a similar way but are not cooked to such a pulpy consistency. Fresh tasting and with a crunchier texture, they have a shorter storage time of up to four months.
pickles Like chutneys, pickles have a high vinegar content, which needs to mellow for several weeks before use or the flavour can be a bit harsh. Vegetable pickles such as Cucumber, Dill and Mustard (page 74) are great with a slice of chunky bread and wedge of cheese, or smoked fish or cold meats. Sweet pickled fruits such as Vanilla Pickled Plums (page 113) or Saffron Pickled Pears (page 114) are lovely, chopped and scattered over salads, their sweet syrupy juices added to dressings and sauces.
sauces, oils, vinegars and seasonings The recipes here are a selection of ideas from savoury sauces to preserved vegetables, mustard and homemade cheese, giving a little taster of the vast scope of preserves that can be made, effortlessly and absorbingly, at home.
mincemeat and fruits in syrup Bottling fruits in syrup is such a great way of extending the relatively short season of some of our favourite fruits, and guarantees a supply of effortless desserts for months ahead. For casual suppers, present the fruits in their jars for spooning over whipped or clotted cream, mascarpone, vanilla ice cream and maybe some dessert biscuits to add crunch and texture. Mincemeats are just about the easiest preserve of all and the two in this book are really special. They store well but should be checked occasionally. If the surface dries out, top up with a dash of liqueur or, if they start to ooze syrup, boil up in a pan, re-pot and store in the fridge.
cordials and drinks There’s such satisfaction in serving homemade cordials, their freshness and purity of flavour vastly superior to most bought ones. The trickiest part is keeping up with nature’s supplies – elderflowers (briefly) in early summer and brambles in the autumn. Think ahead when making alcoholic drinks as they need several months to mellow and mature.
I’ve made many of the recipes in this book with little more than a saucepan, scales, chopping board, knife and a few saved jam jars, which illustrates just how simple preserve making can be.
preserving pan A good-quality preserving pan is deep and wide, designed for ‘boiling up’ jams, jellies and marmalades without the risk of the mixture boiling over the top. Their solid, ‘heavy base’ means you can cook pulpy, thick sauces and chutneys without running the risk of the mixture sticking to the base of the pan. They’re available in stainless steel, lined aluminium or copper, and enamel and have a carrying handle as well as a side handle for tipping the pan to ladle out the last of the preserve for potting. Don’t fill the preserving pan (or saucepan) more than half full so there’s plenty of space for the preserve to rise up as it boils. Some preserves need covering with a lid during the early stages of cooking. If your preserving pan doesn’t have a lid, improvise by using a large baking sheet or sheet of foil, secured around the edges of the pan. If you’re not sure about how much use you’ll get from a preserving pan, bear in mind that they’re also good for large-scale catering, i.e. soup for a crowd, and they also make a great stockpot.
sugar thermometers Jams, jellies and marmalades need to be boiled for a certain amount of time before potting. A sugar thermometer isn’t essential, but it’ll give you an idea of when the preserve is nearly ready. Clip the thermometer to the side of the pan when you start to boil the preserve and boil until the temperature reaches 105°C (221°F). At that point, test for a set (see page 13).
long-handled wooden spoons These are useful when making large quantities of preserves, ensuring that your fingers don’t get too close to the hot liquid when stirring.
slotted or perforated spoons These are used for skimming off the layer of scum that sometimes forms when boiling jams, jellies and marmalades. Use a long-handled one with small holes or thin slots. If the slots are too big the spoon won’t skim efficiently.
jelly bags Made from cotton or nylon mesh, jelly bags are used for straining the juice from fruit pulp when making jellies. They can be suspended from a kitchen cupboard door over a bowl to catch the juice or can be bought with a stand so they can be left on the work surface. A simple alternative (and one I used throughout the book) is to line a large bowl with muslin so it overhangs the edges, pour in the fruit and pulp, gather the edges up over the pulp and secure in a bundle with string to suspend. Don’t press the pulp through the bag to speed up the process or the jelly will be cloudy.
preserving funnels These help keep things tidy when potting preserves into jars. Rest the funnel over each jar as you fill it and the mixture won’t spill out down the sides of the jar.
jam jars Any heatproof glass jars can be used for preserves. Recycle your own empty jam, chutney, marmalade, olive or sauce jars (it’s amazing how quickly you can build up a collection). If making for presents you might want to buy more interestingly shaped ‘designer’ jars. Have the cleaned and sterilized jars ready and waiting to take the hot preserve. If you’re oven sterilizing them, leave them in there until the preserve is ready. If you’ve used the dishwasher to sterilize them and the cycle has finished before the preserve is ready, they’ll be fine if you leave them there for a while with the door closed.
sterilizing jars Wash new or used jars in warm, soapy water, discarding any old labels. Sometimes these come off easily if left to soak in the water for a while. If not, use a scourer to scrape off the labels and stubborn glue. (Liquid lighter fuel or commercial ‘sticky-label remover’ is useful for glue that simply won’t rub off). Once clean and dry, put the jars on a kitchen-paper-lined baking sheet in the oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2, for at least 15 minutes. Most preserves are potted while still hot so leave the jars in the oven if the preserve isn’t quite ready. An alternative sterilizing method is to use the regular dishwasher cycle.
bottles and other preserving jars