Apricot, Orange & Almond Jam
Submitted by gdenny
Apricot orange almond jam slow-simmers dried apricots with orange zest, cinnamon, lemon, and split almonds, then boils to a glossy preserve. A British-style jam for toast and scones.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minThis is a proper old-school British preserve, not a quick freezer jam. Dried apricots get an overnight soak in fresh orange juice and water with cinnamon and orange zest layered through, which softens the fruit and starts pulling spice into the flesh before the pan ever sees heat.
The next day, everything goes into a wide preserving pan for a slow simmer of up to 1¼ hours, until the apricots collapse against a potato masher into a soft, jammy pulp. That’s when warmed sugar, lemon juice, and split almonds go in. The sugar dissolves over gentle heat first, then the flame goes up for a hard boil to setting point.
The classic saucer test tells you when it’s done: drop a spoonful onto a chilled plate, push it with your finger, and it should wrinkle instead of running. Pot up while hot, seal, and label. The almonds add a sweet, marzipan-like note against the citrus and the deep dried-apricot caramel.
Pro Tips
- Use unsulphured dried apricots if you can find them. They’re darker but the flavor is richer and more complex than the bright orange variety.
- Warm the sugar in a low oven for 10 minutes before adding to the pan. Cold sugar drops the temperature and slows the set.
- Skip blanched ground almonds; whole split almonds keep their texture and look pretty in the jar.
- Test for set early. Over-boiled jam turns sticky and dark.
Variations
- Use dried peach or mango in place of apricot for a different tropical profile.
- Add a split vanilla pod along with the cinnamon for a softer flavor.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of amaretto at the end of the boil for boozy almond depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Chop the apricots roughly.
Put them into a large bowl, sprinkling the fine grated zest of the oranges and the cinnamon between layers.
Squeeze the juice of the oranges, measure and add enough water to make 3 pints in all.
Pour the liquids over the fruit; leave to soak overnight in a cool place.
Slide the contents of the bowl into a preserving pan and simmer gently until the fruit is beautifully tender.
Check the fruit occasionally as it cooks and crush it down into the pan with a potato masher.
It may need 1¼ hours to become really soft.
Warm the sugar.
Add it to the pan together with the juice of the lemons and the almonds.
Cook gently until sugar is melted, then fast-boil until the saucer test shows that the preserve will set.
Pot, tie down and label the preserve in the usual way.
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