Saturday 18 December 2010

Cranberry and Orange Jam

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But inside it's so delightful
Since we've no place to go
Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow

 

 Well it has certainly been doing that this past while. What better way to spend incarceration than in a warm kitchen cooking up festive goodies
 Last year I made Nigella Lawson's cranberry jam. It was grand but I felt it was a bit stodgy. I like to use it with the turkey, cold meats and cheese as well as on my toast and prefer a softer texture. I also wanted the addition of orange. I always like the flavour of oranges at Christmas so I conjured this up in my kitchen. Nice soft  texture and lovely flavour. A little sharpness against the sweetness and a lovely hint of orange. I am looking forward to serving this on my table come Christmas day. Incredibly easy to make and perfect for beginners as cranberries are packed full of pectin so setting is never a problem. Give it a go. It can't fail and it is much much nicer than shop bought cranberry sauces for Christmas. Makes lovely gifts too.


Ingredients

1 kilo /2.2lbs cranberries fresh or frozen
1 kilo/2.2 lbs  sugar
Grated rind and juice of two oranges (approx 250mls/1 cup)
500mls /2 cups water

Large heavy based pan

5-6 450gm/1lb jars sterilised in a warm oven

Method

For a smooth jam, place the cranberries in the saucepan with the orange juice and water.
Heat gently until the cranberries just start to soften.
Whizz the mixture in the food processor.
Return to the pot and add the sugar and orange peel.
Heat gently stirring all the time until the sugar dissolves, that is to say when it no longer feels gritty.
Bring the mix to a fast rolling boil for about twenty minutes.
leave to cool slighlty then pot into your warm jars.
You can test for a set by dropping some jam onto a cold plate, leave for a few minutes and push gently with your finger. If it wrinkles it is done. Really you will find you don't need to worry as this will set perfectly due to the pectin content of the cranberries.
If you want whole pieces of fruit just put everything into the saucepan and boil.
Simplicity itself.













13 comments:

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

Coming from New England, I am a huge fan of the cranberry. I made something similar last month but it was more of a chutney. Cranberries are so versatile and good for you.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A gorgeous jam! So festive tasting.

Cheers,

Rosa

kenju said...

Two of my favorite flavors! I bet it is delicious.

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

This looks delicious, and I love cranberries! I'll bet this would be wonderful with warm scones and tea on Christmas morning! Have a wonderful weekend!

Mary

Rhyleysgranny said...

Thank you everyone.
From Beyond- I found the fresh cranberries very expensive here this year but I also noted frozen ones are easier to come by now.

Brownieville Girl said...

Perfect way to use the "snowed in" time!!

Hope you are OK in all that snow - we just got a light sprinkling last night (the garden looks like it has been dusted with icing sugar!!)

Grannymar said...

Looks very tempting and would make a wonderful base layer for a sandwich!

Rhyleysgranny said...

Brownie - Thank God I have a 4x4. I have had to tend to my MIL as the nurses couldn't get there. We'd be stranded without that vehicle.

Grannymar - It's perfect for a sandwich. A nice tartness to it.

Unknown said...

So lovely!
I would like to wish you a Merry Xmas:=)
Barbaraxx

Unknown said...

oh yummy jam... never made anything like this before but you make it look so good and so easy so may give it a try... too many good things to do and not enough snow-time!

Gloria Baker said...

Dear what nice and yummy look this, i love the mix orange and cranberry and I love the colour!Heavenly, huggs, gloria

The Crepes of Wrath said...

This is honestly something I could just eat by the spoonful. When I was a kid, my mom used to have to wait to put cranberry sauce (or cranberry anything) out until I had finished my vegetables or whatever else she was trying to get me to eat, because all I wanted was cranberries!

BetterLate said...

Granny, I have a recipe called Cranberry and Orange Preserve (also guaranteed delicious) that uses cranberries and oranges - now *there's* a surprise ! - but can also have raisins and walnuts added. I can post it if you would like...