Chilli Jam

As it's Christmas I thought once again I would fob everyone off with homemade gifts again. Last year it was mini macaroons and jam, this year - chutneys and jams. So here are three of the ones I made over the past week. 

So I've basically just stuck to the jamming basic rules to come up with these which is pretty simple - more fruit than sugar is good, boil it at 105c for 10 minutes, use pectin if you fruit has a low pectin level (cherries, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, apricots etc.) and sterilize your jars within a centimeter of their life. So here goes. 


Equipment needed for all:

Weighing scales
A large heavy bottom sauce pan or preserving pan
A wooden spoon
A cooking thermometer 
Jars with lids (preferably one which are safe to use with acids)
A jam funnel or large Pyrex jug
Baking tray
Knife and chopping board

You will need a food processor for the chilli jam only


Makes 6 small jars    Prep Time 20 mins   Cooking Time 25-30mins   Resting time 40 mins

Ingredients:

150g long red chillis, deseeded and cut into 4 pieces
150g red peppers, deseeded and cut into 12 peices
600ml cider vinegar
1kg jam sugar or 1kg of granulated sugar with 1 sachet of fruit pectin mixed in


Preheat the oven to 150°c/fan 140°c/gas 3

Place your clean jars, open with the lids next to them on a baking tray and place into the oven for around 15 minutes to sterilize then leave aside to cool. If you are using a jam funnel or Pyrex jug to get the jam into the jars then place this in alongside your jars to sterilize too.

Place the chillis into your food processor and whizz them on pulse until all your chillis are chopped, add the peppers and do the same until you have a confetti of red. This should not be a mush so try not to go too far!

Place your saucepan on to a medium heat, add your vinegar and sugar and heat together without stirring until the sugar has dissolved in the vinegar. Be patient and definitely do not stir!! You can shake it a bit if you're as impatient as me.

Once the sugar has dissolved, add the chilli and pepper mixture to the pan and shake again to distribute. 

Turn the heat up to medium/high and being to the boil. Here is the bit you need to do right or this will not set. Bring to the boil, place the thermometer into the pan and heat, shaking from time to time until you reach 105c, once it is at this temp continue to boil at this temp for 10 minutes. 

You may find that it takes a while to get to that temperature and the jam keeping threatening to boil over - don't worry, if you think it's going to boil over just take the pan away from the heat and continue. This takes a while as the water needs to boil off the syrup before the temperature will go high enough. 

Once this has been done, pour the jam extremely carefully into your sterilized Pyrex jug and leave to cool for 40 minutes. This is basically to allow the jam to become more viscous and let the confetti of chilli and pepper distribute so it doesn't all just sit at the top of the jars. 

When the chilli and peppers look like they're holding in the liquid, you're ready to jar! Give the mix a stir and start pouring into your sterilized jars. Do not touch the inside of the jars or lids - you will unsterilize them. Fill right to the top and screw on the lid using a clean tea towel. 

Once cool, add your labels!

I would advise leaving these for about 2 weeks to a month to take away the harsh vinegar flavour from the jam, Once they're ready they're great with cheese, cold cuts of meat and on a bacon butty!