Review Food and Drink: Home made jam | Redcurrants | excellent jelly | lamb | Cherry | Queen's Crescent

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The Review - FOOD AND DRINK - Cooking with CLARE
Published: 13 August 2009

Redcurrant jelly

To help us out of a sticky situation

Clare Latimer welcomes the return of homemade jams as a money-saving solution and offers some tips on where to find the best fruitome wholesome rustic recipes

I HAVE been hearing that so many people this year are making jam again and that is one good thing to come out of these hard times.
Homemade jam is so easy to make and if you go to a market like Queen’s Crescent in Kentish Town or any other local street market and buy fruit in reasonable bulk then the price is normally very good.
I have decided to give space to more unusual fruit jams but do remember strawberry jam – perhaps you could add some orange zest for that little extra flavour.
If you have an allotment you will probably be making jars of blackcurrant and redcurrant jam and jellies, but these are harder to buy in shops and always seem to hold their own in price. The best pick-your-own near Camden is Parkside Farm in Enfield (www. parksidefarmpyo.co.uk) and at this time of year it has strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and plums. If you go on their website you can ask them to email each week with their fruit and vegetables that are ready.
It is run really well and great fun for a day out.

Peach jam
Peach jam is a favourite of mine and just that little bit unusual. The season is short so now is the time to get the jam bubbling.
Ingredients
(makes 3 litres)
2.5kg ripe peaches
Juice and zest of 3 lemons
Little salt
1.5kg caster sugar
2 vanilla pods.
Method
Skin the peaches and cut into smallish chunks. Discard the stones. Put the peach flesh in a heavy-based saucepan with the lemon juice and zest and add some salt.
Gently bring to a simmer, then cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the sugar and, when dissolved, turn up the heat and boil rapidly until setting point. To check this, take a cold saucer and use a teaspoon to put a small amount of jam onto it. Leave it for a few seconds and then push the jam with your little finger (make sure it has cooled). It will wrinkle on the surface when the jam is ready. If not, try again in a minute or two with a fresh cold saucer. When your jam is set, turn off the heat and prepare some sterilised jam jars. Heat the oven 130C / 250F / gas ½. Wash the jars in soapy water and rinse thoroughly then put them into a low oven for five minutes. Remove with oven gloves and then pour the warm jam into the jars, and seal immediately. Cool the jars at room temperature, then label with a date and ingredients. Store in a cool dark place.

Cherry jam
English cherries come into season about now but wait for the wonderful big dark and juicy fruits. You can buy a cherry stone remover from a good kitchen shop if you run out of patience pitting by hand. This jam is great served with a good vanilla ice-cream, perhaps mixed with a little liquor such as Framboise or Cassis.
Ingredients
(makes about 5 jars)
1.8kg big ripe dark cherries
1.125kg preserving
sugar
Juice of 2 lemons.
Method
Wash the cherries and remove the stones and stalks. Put into a heavy-based saucepan with the lemon juice and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes or until the jam is at setting point (see the peach recipe for details of setting and preparing jars). Remove the scum from the top and pour into jars when cooled slightly. Label and store in dark cool place.

Redcurrant jelly
My mum always served fresh redcurrants that had been marinated raw in caster sugar overnight and still to this day I think it is the best way to eat them. To strip them from the stalks for my mum’s recipe, hold the stalk in your left hand and then using a fork just strip the berries off into a bowl with your right hand. Mostly they are cooked but give this a go. On the other hand there’s nothing to beat homemade redcurrant jelly served with a new season leg or shoulder of lamb so here is a recipe.
Ingredients
(makes about 6 jars)
1.8kg redcurrants
1.8 litres water
450g sugar per pint of juice.
Method
Wash the redcurrants. Do not remove the stalks. Put the berries into a heavy-based saucepan with the water and cook until the fruit is really soft. Leave to cool slightly and then pour into a jelly bag and leave to strain for about five hours. Do not squeeze the jelly bag. Measure the juice and put back into a saucepan.
Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until the jelly reaches setting point. (See peach jam recipe). Remove the scum and then pour into the sterilised jars while still hot.
Cover and label and then store in a dark cool place.

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