Les Confitures aux fruits de saison / Cordon Bleu Jour 5

I think every French person I know makes jam.  When I was living in Poix, I often received jars of jam from colleagues, the most interesting of which was watermelon and walnut.  Therefore, if I am truly to understand the French, I needed to learn to make jam.  I have heard it's easy, but I've also heard it's complicated.  Copper pots, sterilizing, paraffin seals... Yesterday was finally my chance to try it out for myself.

On the menu:

Confiture d'abricots aux amandes
Apricot and almond jam
1 kg stoned apricots
750 g. sugar
juice of 1 lemon
90 ml water
1 vanilla bean
185 g whole almonds (raw, not roasted)
10 g pectin (optional)


Confiture de fraise des bois et framboises aux zestes de citron vert
Wild strawberry, raspberry and lime peel jam
500 g wild strawberries
320 g raspberries
560 g sugar
45 ml lemon juice
60 ml water
peel of 2 limes
8 g pectin (optional)



Turns out, making jam is easy.  Really easy.  Chef even started our class by telling us there's nothing easier than jam.  And if you're not planning on keeping the jam in the cabinet for ages, you don't need fancy equipment.  Just a good sized saucepan and clean jars.  The heat from the jam combined with turning the jar upside down takes care of sterilization and sealing the jar.  The traditional ratio is 1kg of fruit to 1kg of sugar.  If you want to reduce the sugar, it's best not to go below 50% of the amount of fruit, but this can vary depending on which fruit you choose.

I'm now the proud owner of six jars of delicious jam, but quantities are quickly diminishing.  Sorry, I don't think it will last until I return home.