Ingredients :
For 5 jars of 350 g
- 2 kg apricots "Orangé de Provence" (take care to select very ripe fruits, of average size)
- Brown powder sugar: 750 g for 1 kg of fruits. Without their stones.
Time required: for preparation, quarter of an hour. For the cooking at least one hour.
Equipment :
- kitchen scales
- 1 big salad bowl
- 1 jam basin, preferably in cooper
- 1 wooden spoon with a long stem
- 1 strainer
- 1 small spoon
- glass, heat-resistant jars with air tight closing systems. |
This recipe is to be carried out over 2 days.
Advice:
To ensure the best possible result and taste, never attempt to make too much at any one time. 3 or 4 kg of stoned fruit plus the sugar, in a big basin is to be considered a maximum.
The basin must be filled only to two thirds of its capacity. It is preferable to do several sessions if you want bigger quantities of jam.
First day:
Rinse the apricots in fresh water, let them dry and wipe them.
Weigh the empty salad bowl.
Separate each apricot into two, take out the stone, put the fruit into the salad bowl, and then weigh the whole thing and deduct from the total the weight of the salad bowl so as to obtain the net weight of the fruit. Add to the fruits 750g of sugar for each kg of stoned fruit.
Cover up the salad bowl with a cloth and leave in a fresh place until the next day.
Second day:
Pour the contents of the salad bowl into the jam basin. The apricots will thus be "swimming" in the juice. Put the basin on the stove at low temperature so that the sugar finishes melting, and then proceed to turn the heat up gradually until boiling point.
Keep a low cooking temperature so that the cooking happens very slowly. From time to time stir delicately. During the cooking time prepare the jars. They must be perfectly clean. If necessary rinse them with very hot water and turn them over on to a clean dishcloth.
When the apricots become translucent verify the cooking. For this you can dip the wooden spoon into the cooking juice and then shake it over a cold plate. If the drops that land on it congeal, then it means that the jam is cooked.
Turn off the stove, and skim off the surface of the jam. Put into jars. When a jar is filled (never right up to the top) screw on the lid and turn it over on to a cloth. Let the jars cool down until the next day in a place shaded from any direct light and away from any source of heat.
|
