After looking at the recipes, it was decided that the double cooked version might be a little too adventurous for a first attempt so she settled on a mixed fruit version.
The oranges, lemons and grapefruit were all finely sliced and added with water to the boiler.
Pips, discarded peel and pith were put into a muslin bag and also put in.
After a few hours of boiling the sugar was finally added.
Now came the hard part.
When will it be ready? No one wants runny jam.
The pectin test is the conventional way.
There are varying ways of doing this. After a few unsatisfactory attempts, we finally settled on the method in the Australian Women's Weekly Cook Book published way back in the dark ages! All the measurements are imperial in the book which is a little disconcerting at first for us who have struggled for the last 45 years to forget all that stuff. No problem for the co driver however who is by now well and truly bimetrological.
So she put some saucers in the fridge and after 30 minutes spooned a little jam onto one and then back in the fridge. A few minutes later she ran her finger through the jam until finally by saucer #5 it was gelling and crinkling to the touch.
Then she waited a thin skin began to form on the jam in the boiler (this ensures the fruit pieces stay in suspension in the jar) then filled the jars that had been sterilizing in the oven.
Then on with the lids!
This morning I had some on toast!
Delicious!
Now she is ready for the double cooked version.
1 comment:
you are a lucky man mister!! be good to the sister!
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