The past 3 years I’ve spent August working in France with the most amazing produce. Every year, I spend the last few days jarring and bottling up as much as possible to bring home to last me through the winter. Here’s my recipe for French-style apricot jam.
Makes 5-6 jars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Steeping time: 3-5 hours
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes
Ingredients
2kg very ripe apricots
1.5kg caster sugar
2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
2 lemons, juiced
You’ll also need
5-6 jam jars
wax paper discs (optional)
Method
Wash the apricots and cut each in half, removing the stones.
Place the apricots, sugar, vanilla bean paste and lemon juice in a large jam pan or heavy bottomed saucepan and mix well. Allow to steep for 3-5 hours at room temperature, stirring occassionally. While the apricots are steeping, place a side plate in the freezer.
Once the apricots have steeped, place the pan over a low-medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir occasionally while the sugar is dissolving then allow to boil and reduce, without stirring, for 30 minutes.
While the jam is cooking, sterilise the jars. Preheat the oven to 160oC and wash the jars with soapy water. Place the washed jars upside down and directly on the rack in the oven to dry out for 10-15 minutes.
After about 30 minutes scrape off any scum that has risen to the surface. Give the jam the odd stir to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the jam starts to thicken, test if it’s ready by placing a teaspoon of the jam on the frozen plate. Give it a few seconds to chill, then gently push. If it forms a gentle wrinkle on top, the jam is set enough. If not continue to cook for a little longer, testing every 5 minutes. When ready, the jam should have plenty of gooey apricot pieces still in it and won’t be as firm as many jams.
When the jam is done, pour the hot jam into the sterilised jars (they should still be slightly warm) and seal with a wax paper disc. When completely cool, screw on the lids and store in a cool dark place. The jam will last for at least a year. Once opened, store in the fridge.