Every year I make Christmas Jam but, since we are invited to a few Thanksgiving Holiday parties this year, I decided to make some Thanksgiving Jam as hostess gifts. This jam is superb! I love it! It's a very versatile jam and really great on turkey too! ~Enjoy! Diane Ingredients: 1 orange, zested and fruit chopped (discard pith) 2 lbs figs, washed and quartered 3 cups brown sugar 1 teaspoon ginger root, grated 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 1⁄4 cup lemon juice, bottled 2 cups cranberries, fresh or 2 cups frozen cranberries, divided Directions:
Yield: 6 half-pints Recipe Adapted from: Saucony Foods Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at home
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Fig & Orange Jam 5 pounds fresh figs (I used Black Figs) 3/4 cup water 6 cups sugar, divided 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 4 Tbs fresh orange juice 2-3 Tbs fresh orange zest Yield: About 10 half-pint jars Directions: Carefully clean figs under running water, do not scrub, Stem figs and quarter into a bowl. Take 1 cup of the sugar, 2 Tbs orange juice and sprinkle over the figs, set aside for one hour to macerate in the sugar (stir occasionally.) In a large pot or jam pan, add water and the remaining sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Scrape figs and all contents from macerating bowl into jam pan, add in the lemon juice, remaining orange juice and zest - cook over medium-high heat until thick - this can take 30-40 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Once jam is to your preferred thickness, use an immersion blender to break up large chunks of figs until you reach the consistency that you prefer (I go slow with my immersion blender and leave a thicker fruited jam) You can also use a potato masher. Pour hot jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head-space. Wipe rims of jars with a water dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner. Half Pints and Pints: 0 - 1,000ft 5 minutes 1,001 - 6,000ft 10 minutes 6,001ft and above 15 minutes NOTE: **want to make Drunken Orange Figs Jam? omit the lemon juice and orange juice and add in 2/3 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau in its place. (add in a little at a time until the jam suits your taste.) Recipe Adapted from: NCHFP Fig Jam Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking a Home Why make jam out of figs? Well, first off - it's tasty but, it also has such a multitude of uses. One being that if it needs just a little more thickening - you can thicken upon opening and use as a "fig newton" filling. My husband loves swirling some into his hot oatmeal with cinnamon. You can even spoon over cottage cheese with some pear for a tasty treat. Any way you use it - even if just as a spread on toast or over cheeses for a dinner party appetizer, it's sure to please! I used Brown Turkey Figs for this recipe because I hadn't done my full research. I didn't know that Black Mission Figs are the sweetest and would provide the most flavorful jam but, this jam I made - it still great - the figs have a delicious, subtle flavor of peach and surrounded with star anise and ginger flavors, it shines. I use the entire Fig in this jam (only removing the stem section.) ~Enjoy! Diane
Spiced Fig Jam Ingredients: 5 lbs fresh, ripe Figs, (2 Quarts chopped) 3/4 cup water 6 cups White Granulated Sugar, divided *I used some honey in place of sugar 1 box powdered pectin, sure-jel (pink box) 6 Star Anise *you can use 3-4 cinnamon sticks if preferred, instead. 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated *more or less, as preferred 1/4 cup Lemon Juice Directions: Clean Figs, cut off stems, and cut in half, place into large pot. Warm pot and let figs start to release their juices, bring pot up to medium-high heat and add water with white sugar. Stir and let sugar dissolve, about 10 minutes. Add in star anise (I place my anise in a spice ball/bag for easy removal later) and ginger and let the pot simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often, this lets the star anise steep and the figs cook down a bit. Taste your mixture at this point and make any spice or sugar 'taste adjustments'. Once to your liking, remove spice ball with anise and set aside, remove pot from heat and use an immersion blender to break down any remaining large pieces of fig. Once all large chunks are broken down, return pot to heat and add back in the spice ball with anise to continue flavoring the jam. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and pectin together in a bowl, and slowly mix into jam in pot while raising the heat on the stove to High. You want to bring the mixture up to at least 210 on a candy thermometer and let boil hard for at least one minute (a boil where the bubbles do not stop when stirring.) Remove pot from heat and ladle hot jam into prepared, sterile jars. Water-bath Can for shelf stability. You can refrigerate for immediate use or freeze for use later. Waterbath 1/4" head-space, 5 minutes or according to your altitude: Instructions from NCHFP Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Homemade Newtons (use any jam/preserves you want!) I used my Homemade Apple Butter in some and some Amish "Frog Jam" with Figs in others. Do not over-fill or they tend to ooze out. Please thicken your jams with cornstarch, tapioca or clear jel type thickeners before adding to cookie to ensure less 'ooze' ~Enjoy! Diane Cookie Base: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest 1 large egg white 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can use some whole wheat/spelt if you like) Directions: Make Cookie Base: 1. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl for 2-3 minutes on medium speed.... you may need to scrape down the bowl occasionally. 2. Add the egg white and vanilla and mix to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl. 3. Add flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. 4. Remove dough and flatten to in a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight... If the dough is not firm you will have trouble rolling it, as it will stick and get too soft. 5. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet/s with parchment paper. 6. Remove dough from the refrigerator, cut into 4 equal parts. While working with one piece of dough, you will want to keep the rest refrigerated and cold. 7. Take one piece of dough and place it on a parchment paper (you could use a floured surface, but I find the parchment paper allows you to roll the dough without too much sticking and it also helps in turning the logs over and onto the baking sheet). 8. Shape the dough in a rectangle....and roll the dough out to about 12 x 4 inches.(I like to keep the rectangle as even as possible by adjusting the rectangle shape with the back of my knife as I roll). 9. Spoon a line of filling down the center of each strip. 10. Fold 1/2 of the dough over the filling...you may use a wide knife/spatula...or use the parchment paper as an aid to lift the dough over the filling. You need to be gentle as the dough is quite buttery and soft. 11. Place each finished log (seam side down) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use your parchment paper that you roll it on to help you transfer it. (If possible, keep it refrigerated, while working on the remaining logs....this way the butter in the dough doesn't melt). 12. Do the same with the rest of the dough and filling. 13. When you finished making all the logs, use a serrated knife to slice each log into about 5 cookies...or however many you want. 14. Bake 350 for 10-15 mins (watch the edges as the tops don't get overly browned) **Diane's Note: using different fillings? try adding different extracts and zests...if I were doing a blueberry or strawberry preserve fillings - I'd use lemon zest and a touch of almond or vanilla extract. Always remember to thicken your jam a bit so the filling doesn't ooze out of cookies! Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Recipe Cookie Base Adapted From: Home Cooking in Montana |