This is loosely based on an Alton Brown recipe from the Good Eats episode, “Urban Preservation: Jam Session,” but Jim has made some modifications which, we feel have improved it!
28 oz. frozen fruit
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1.75 oz. package No/Low Sugar Pectin (we’ve had the best luck with Sure-Jell brand)
830-850 grams sugar
½ C water
Place fruit in a pot over low heat and add lemon juice and vinegar. Sprinkle pectin evenly over fruit. Use a potato masher as the fruit starts to thaw. Once softened, turn heat to med-high and continue to mash and stir fruit until slightly chunkier than desired consistency.
If using raspberries, blackberries, or other heavy-seeded fruit, we like to blend the fruit in our VitaMix at this point to make it smooth and “seedless.” Blend it when the fruit is warm and softish with nothing left frozen, but before it gets hot…and dangerous. 🙂 Return mixture to pot, bring it to a boil and let it simmer, stirring frequently, for five minutes.
Add sugar and water and stir until completely incorporated. Return to a boil for one minute, then remove from heat. At this point, jam can be either preserved or just distributed to clean jars and left to sit overnight to cool.
If jam is not preserved, it should be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 4 weeks (though it usually gets eaten up before then!).
Tried & Tested Flavor Combinations
- Cherry Almond: 800 g sweet black cherries; replace lemon juice & vinegar with 3 Tbsp black cherry dark balsamic vinegar & 3 Tbps lime juice; add 1/4-1/2 tsp almond extract to taste
- Peach Melba: 16 oz. peach + 12 oz. raspberries; replace vinegar with peach white balsamic vinegar
- Spiced Peach Apricot: 16 oz. peach + 12 oz. apricot; replace vinegar with peach white balsamic vinegar; add ~1/2 tsp cinnamon to taste
- Strawberry Lime: 28 oz. strawberries; replace lemon juice & vinegar with 6 Tbsp lime juice
- Strawberry Lime Coconut: 28 oz. strawberries; replace lemon juice & vinegar with 4 Tbsp lime juice & 4 Tbsp coconut white balsamic vinegar; add 2-4 Tbsp coconut oil
- Strawberry Raspberry: 16 oz. strawberries + 12 oz. raspberries (black raspberries if possible)
Yields: about 36 oz.
Time to make: 30 min
Source: James Hoffman