I've been reading your wit and wisdom for some time now without feeling
able to contribute, but thought you might be interested in an
Elizabethan method of making jam -- I've just got three pots of fine
gooseberry jam using it. Well, ok, it's a bit soft, but I like it like
that, or so I say :-)

The technique is described in _Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book_ by
Hilary Spurling.

I used 1lb sugar to 1lb fruit. Put the sugar in a truly heavy-bottomed
pan and moisten with the absolute minimum of water, as little as
0.25pint/lb. Heat very gently over low heat until the sugar has
dissolved/melted and then 'Boyle it till it bee sugar againe'. I found
this nerve-wracking as I'd never done it before; basically you boil it
hard until it crystallises into red-hot sugar as you're stirring when it
reaches c. 240F/115C. Once it solidifies, dump the prepared raw fruit
fruit on the hot sugar and leave it on the lowest even heat you can
manage. If the heat is low enough you can simply leave the pan alone to
get on with it. The heat from the sugar gently cooks the fruit, which
releases juice that dissolves the sugar. My gooseberries took nearly an
hour to dissolve the sugar, even with me chipping at the larger lumps.
Spurling says some jams will jam at this point, with no boiling at all,
but the very ripe gooseberries needed another 5 minutes of higher heat
before I got what I think is a reasonable soft set. The flavour is
superb, and the jam seems more clear than the usual long-boiled stuff;
it almost sparkles in the jar.

regards
sarah

--
NB. Note change of *usenet* email address:
'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function.
My other email address will remain valid.
Think of it as evolution in action :-)

sarah wrote:
> I've been reading your wit and wisdom for some time now without feeling
> able to contribute, but thought you might be interested in an
> Elizabethan method of making jam -- I've just got three pots of fine
> gooseberry jam using it. Well, ok, it's a bit soft, but I like it like
> that, or so I say :-)
>
> The technique is described in _Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book_ by
> Hilary Spurling.
>
> I used 1lb sugar to 1lb fruit. Put the sugar in a truly heavy-bottomed
> pan and moisten with the absolute minimum of water, as little as
> 0.25pint/lb. Heat very gently over low heat until the sugar has
> dissolved/melted and then 'Boyle it till it bee sugar againe'. I found
> this nerve-wracking as I'd never done it before; basically you boil it
> hard until it crystallises into red-hot sugar as you're stirring when it
> reaches c. 240F/115C. Once it solidifies, dump the prepared raw fruit
> fruit on the hot sugar and leave it on the lowest even heat you can
> manage. If the heat is low enough you can simply leave the pan alone to
> get on with it. The heat from the sugar gently cooks the fruit, which
> releases juice that dissolves the sugar. My gooseberries took nearly an
> hour to dissolve the sugar, even with me chipping at the larger lumps.
> Spurling says some jams will jam at this point, with no boiling at all,
> but the very ripe gooseberries needed another 5 minutes of higher heat
> before I got what I think is a reasonable soft set. The flavour is
> superb, and the jam seems more clear than the usual long-boiled stuff;
> it almost sparkles in the jar.
>
> regards
> sarah
>


That's interesting, although I think the temperature would be a lot
higher than 240F when (if) the sugar solidifies again while you're
cooking it. More like 300F or a little higher.

I may have to try it with some sour cherries or cranberries or a mixture
of blueberries and lemons. (or kiwifruit, or...) It should work well
for small batches.

Bob

Gooseberries do make very good jam as they are high in pectin,
unfortunately we do not have many gooseberries in Southern Ontario.
But I do rememebr a long time ago making a syrup similar to yours, and
making cherry jam..qahtan



"sarah" > wrote in message
.. .
> I've been reading your wit and wisdom for some time now without feeling
> able to contribute, but thought you might be interested in an
> Elizabethan method of making jam -- I've just got three pots of fine
> gooseberry jam using it. Well, ok, it's a bit soft, but I like it like
> that, or so I say :-)
>
> The technique is described in _Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book_ by
> Hilary Spurling.
>
> I used 1lb sugar to 1lb fruit. Put the sugar in a truly heavy-bottomed
> pan and moisten with the absolute minimum of water, as little as
> 0.25pint/lb. Heat very gently over low heat until the sugar has
> dissolved/melted and then 'Boyle it till it bee sugar againe'. I found
> this nerve-wracking as I'd never done it before; basically you boil it
> hard until it crystallises into red-hot sugar as you're stirring when it
> reaches c. 240F/115C. Once it solidifies, dump the prepared raw fruit
> fruit on the hot sugar and leave it on the lowest even heat you can
> manage. If the heat is low enough you can simply leave the pan alone to
> get on with it. The heat from the sugar gently cooks the fruit, which
> releases juice that dissolves the sugar. My gooseberries took nearly an
> hour to dissolve the sugar, even with me chipping at the larger lumps.
> Spurling says some jams will jam at this point, with no boiling at all,
> but the very ripe gooseberries needed another 5 minutes of higher heat
> before I got what I think is a reasonable soft set. The flavour is
> superb, and the jam seems more clear than the usual long-boiled stuff;
> it almost sparkles in the jar.
>
> regards
> sarah
>
> --
> NB. Note change of *usenet* email address:
> 'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function.
> My other email address will remain valid.
> Think of it as evolution in action :-)

qahtan > wrote:

> Gooseberries do make very good jam as they are high in pectin,
> unfortunately we do not have many gooseberries in Southern Ontario.
> But I do rememebr a long time ago making a syrup similar to yours, and
> making cherry jam..qahtan

I'd have liked to try that, but the person with the cherry tree allowed
the starlings to have all the fruit this year -- I would have swapped
some gooseberries had I been here :-/

regards
sarah


--
NB. Note change of *usenet* email address:
'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function.
My other email address will remain valid.
Think of it as evolution in action :-)

zxcvbob > wrote:

> sarah wrote:
> > I've been reading your wit and wisdom for some time now without feeling
> > able to contribute, but thought you might be interested in an
> > Elizabethan method of making jam -- I've just got three pots of fine
> > gooseberry jam using it. Well, ok, it's a bit soft, but I like it like
> > that, or so I say :-)
> >
> > The technique is described in _Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book_ by
> > Hilary Spurling.
> >
> > I used 1lb sugar to 1lb fruit. Put the sugar in a truly heavy-bottomed
> > pan and moisten with the absolute minimum of water, as little as
> > 0.25pint/lb. Heat very gently over low heat until the sugar has
> > dissolved/melted and then 'Boyle it till it bee sugar againe'. I found
> > this nerve-wracking as I'd never done it before; basically you boil it
> > hard until it crystallises into red-hot sugar as you're stirring when it
> > reaches c. 240F/115C. Once it solidifies, dump the prepared raw fruit
> > fruit on the hot sugar and leave it on the lowest even heat you can
> > manage. If the heat is low enough you can simply leave the pan alone to
> > get on with it. The heat from the sugar gently cooks the fruit, which
> > releases juice that dissolves the sugar. My gooseberries took nearly an
> > hour to dissolve the sugar, even with me chipping at the larger lumps.
> > Spurling says some jams will jam at this point, with no boiling at all,
> > but the very ripe gooseberries needed another 5 minutes of higher heat
> > before I got what I think is a reasonable soft set. The flavour is
> > superb, and the jam seems more clear than the usual long-boiled stuff;
> > it almost sparkles in the jar.
>
> That's interesting, although I think the temperature would be a lot
> higher than 240F when (if) the sugar solidifies again while you're
> cooking it. More like 300F or a little higher.
>
> I may have to try it with some sour cherries or cranberries or a mixture
> of blueberries and lemons. (or kiwifruit, or...) It should work well
> for small batches.

The author says it's a good method to preserve the flavour of more
delicate fruits (I will use it for raspberries later this week). She
says it works because fruit pectin is released at 70C/158F (not boiling
point), so fruit that reaches that temperature will set provided the
acid balance is correct and no surplus water is present. The hot sugar
is sufficient to reach the necessary temperature. I don't know if that's
a *good* explanation, but try the method anyway :-)

regards
sarah


--
NB. Note change of *usenet* email address:
'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function.
My other email address will remain valid.
Think of it as evolution in action :-)