Apricot Jam Recipe with Noyaux, Spices and Bourbon

Name: Apricot Jam Recipe with Noyaux, Spices and Bourbon
Yield: 4 to 5 pints
Ingredients: 7 cups apricots, coarsely chopped, pits reserved; 5 cups sugar; 1 lemon, cut in slices; 5 to 7 black peppercorns; 1 to 2 cardamom pods, cracked; 2 to 3 cloves; 1/2 stick cinnamon; 1/4 cup bourbon

Recipe courtesy of Sean Timberlake

Watch how to make this recipe.

Apricot Jam Recipe with Noyaux, Spices and Bourbon

1 Review

I'm absolutely crazy for stone fruit. From the moment the first cherries come in, I quiver in anticipation of what's to follow: sweet-tart plums and pluots, gushingly juicy peaches. I most look forward to the apricots, seductive and demure. I could eat a bushel of them right out of hand, but apricot jam is my favorite, bar none, so every year I hunker down and make a bunch. Apricots don't need much; their flavor blooms as you cook them down, but they also take nicely to a little spice. A few peppercorns, some cardamom, perhaps half a stick of cinnamon all bundled into a cheesecloth sachet will leave a subtle undertone to your jam. But if you want to create something special, crack open a few of the apricot pits and toss the kernels into the sachet.

Yield: 4 to 5 pints

Yield: 4 to 5 pints

Ingredients

7 cups apricots, coarsely chopped, pits reserved

5 cups sugar

1 lemon, cut in slices

5 to 7 black peppercorns

1 to 2 cardamom pods, cracked

2 to 3 cloves

1/2 stick cinnamon

1/4 cup bourbon

Directions

In a large, heavy, nonreactive pot, mix the fruit and sugar, and let stand to macerate at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours.
With a nutcracker or a hammer, crack open several of the reserved pits and remove the kernel from within. On a square of cheesecloth (approximately 6-inch square), place the noyaux and spices, and tie up the corners tightly to form a sachet.
Place the macerated fruit over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemons and the sachet. Raise the heat to high, stirring frequently to prevent burning. When the jam reads 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer, cook one minute longer, turn off the flame, add the bourbon, stir well to combine and let the jam stand for a few minutes. Remove the sachet and lemon slices.
Pour into sterilized jars and process via the standard water-bath canning method.

Properly handled sterilized equipment will keep canned foods in good condition for one year. Making sure hands, equipment and surfaces in your canning area are clean is the first step in canning. Tips: Jars should be made from glass and free of any chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are topped with glass, plastic or metal lids that have a rubberlike seal. Two-piece metal lids are most common. To prepare jars before filling: Wash jars with hot, soapy water, rinse them well and arrange them open-side up, without touching, on a tray. To sterilize jars, boil them in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 10 minutes. Jars have to be sterilized only if the food to be preserved will be processed for less than 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath or pressure canner. To sterilize jars, boil them in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 10 minutes. Follow manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and preparing lids and bands. Use tongs or jar lifters to remove hot sterilized jars from the boiling water. Be sure the tongs are sterilized too: Dip the tong ends in boiling water for a few minutes before using them. All items used in the process of making jams, jellies, preserves and pickles must be clean, including any towels and especially your hands. After the jars are prepared, you can preserve the food. It is important to follow any canning and processing instructions included in the recipe and refer to USDA guidelines about the sterilization of canned products. Find Information information on canning can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website: http://nchfp.uga.edu/.

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Add Your Review

mushie

Made this yesterday without the bourbon as thought it did not need it after tasting it while testing that it had set. Will Be giving this out with Christmas presents as gorgeous. If I had to find a negative it took the same amount of time to set during boiling process for non macerated jams but not a big issue thanks.

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