Jalapeno Jam + a review of Preservation Society Home Preserves
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Preservation Society Home Preserves by Camilla Wynne
Preservation Society is a very personal, very particular preserves company. Its founder, Camilla Wynne, creates recipes filled with imagination and heart.
Her mandate at Preservation Society is to use as much local produce as possible. Her recipes are amusing, creative and simply mouth-watering. Her experience working with top chefs and pastry chefs is reflected in each recipe.
With gorgeous, full color throughout the book, each recipe is unique, such as the one inspired by the French Revolution (French Revolution 1779). Others are Strawberry Margarita Jam, Banana’s Foster Jam, Sour Cherry and Vanilla Jelly and Malt Pickled Cauliflower. The 100 recipes use simple techniques and easy-to-find ingredients. Camilla Wynne cleverly mixes the classics with modern creations, sometimes inspired by cocktails.
Besides the sumptuous jam, jelly and marmalade recipes, there are recipes for syrups, marinades, chutneys, conserves, as well as a dozen recipes that use the original preserve recipe.
A beginner or a seasoned pro will be comfortable making these recipes that feature reliable, easy-to-follow, up-to-date preserving instructions and information. (-synopsis)
For those of you who know me, I love to can. I’ve been doing it for 5 years and I really enjoy being able to preserves fruits and vegetables to enjoy during the winter. So when I saw a new preserving book that promised modern recipes I was intrigued.
The book starts off with an introduction and a very informative preserving basics section. From there it’s divided into Jams, Marmalades, Jellies and Butters, Canned Fruits, Syrups, Pickles, Chutneys, Relishes, and Savory Jams, For the Fridge, and Cooking with Preserves.
Each section starts out with a page or two talking about the type of preserving being done, gives a few tips, and just some basic information. Then comes the recipes. Each recipe has a description, ingredients list, tells how much it makes, and the instruction. While not every recipe has a photo, many of them do have colored photos next to the recipe. It’s enough to keep me interested and the photos look great.
As I went through the book I made a list of recipes I wanted to make. I marked 10 initially and I’ll be honest, I’ve made 4 already so stay tuned for some of these awesome recipes. I’ve made the Jalapeno Jam, White Grapefruit Marmalade with Vanilla, Blood and Sand Jam, and Peach Jam with Bourbon and Honey.
Have you heard of such delicious recipes? I love that many of the recipes have some type of liqueur or other flavoring in them. I also like that pectin isn’t used in these recipes. The only thing you must watch is look at the recipe prior to making it. Many need the fruits to be boiled for several hours before making or have the fruit sitting in the sugar and lemon juice for an hour or more prior to cooking. I went to make two recipes one day and ended up having to do them later because of the prep time needed so read carefully!
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
So let’s talk about the Jalapeno Jam. I’ve made Jalapeno Jelly and Jam before but never like this. Mine is usually a combination of peppers, sugar, and food coloring. This one is different. In addition to the jalapenos and sugar there are apples, red peppers, and lemons. It has a lot more of a texture then the jelly I usually make.
It combines all the ingredients in the pan and boils it until thick. At this point the lemon peels are removed and the jam is processed. Now I’ve found that this isn’t the traditional jalapeno jelly that is super thick and gelled. It’s more of a loose jam but it makes it easier to pour over cream cheese to serve with crackers. It’s also great served with meat as a relish or on biscuits. I love it on my Green Chile and Cheddar Biscuits.
This Jam is definitely spicy and somewhat sweet. I like that it isn’t as sweet as my usual Jalapeno Jelly. It’s chunkier too which I really liked because you can see the vegetables and fruit in it.
Jalapeno Jam
A spicy and sweet Jalapeno Jam that is chunkier and a bit looser then your typical Jalapeno Jelly but is delicious over cream cheese and served with crackers.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 1 1/4 lbs (3 or 4 medium) apples, finely chopped
- 12 oz. red bell peppers (2 medium), finely chopped
- 12 oz. jalapeno peppers (about 12 medium), seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher or pickling salt
- 3 c. granulated sugar
- 3 c. cider vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the jars and lids.
- In a large pot, combine the lemons, apples, red peppers, jalapenos, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often and reducing the heat as necessary, until thick. Remove from heat and fish out the lemons, which will now just be soft pieces of peel; discard lemons.
- Ladle jam into the hot jars to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of the rim. Remove any air bubbles and wipe rims. Place the lids on the jars and screw the bands on until fingertip-tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
Notes
Recipe from Preservation Society Home Preserves: 100 Modern Recipes by Camilla Wynne, 2015.
