Confiture de melon à la cannelle et au citron confit

( Rockmelon, cinnamon and confit lemon jam )

Makes about 800 ml (28 fl oz)

½ lemon, preferably organic

200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

15 g (½ oz) powdered pectin

700 g (1 lb 9 oz) ripe rockmelon (about 1 large melon), peeled and cut into 2 cm (³/₄ in) pieces

2 vanilla beans, halved lengthways

L Wash the lemon thoroughly under hot water to remove any wax. Remove the seeds, then finely chop the skin and flesh into a rough paste.

L Put the sugar, cinnamon and pectin in a bowl and stir until very well combined — this avoids the formation of lumps later in the process. Add the lemon paste, chopped melon and vanilla beans and, using your hands, combine well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.

L Meanwhile, sterilise four 200 ml (7 fl oz) capacity jars and their lids following the method described.

L Transfer the fruit and sugar mixture to a heavy-based saucepan and place over medium heat. Heavy-based pans are great at spreading the direct heat of the flame or heating element, which reduces the chance of burning the jam. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously, then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring for another 15 minutes, or until the melon becomes translucent. It is hard to tell by sight if the jam is ready, as the jam has very little sugar and has to rely predominantly on the pectin (for its texture and thickness) to bloom overnight to set. As soon as the jam begins boiling, the pectin has been activated.

L Using a pair of kitchen tongs, remove the vanilla beans and reserve. Pour the hot jam into the sterilised jars, making sure you don’t spill any on the rims. Add one halved vanilla bean to each jar and seal immediately. Label the jars and write the expiry date (3 months from the day they were made) on them. Set aside until cool, then store in the fridge.

technical tip

Pectin is a colloid, a polysaccharide found in the skin and, to a lesser extent, the flesh of fruits and vegetables. It is widely used as a gelling agent and stabiliser in food (E440), but also in therapeutic medicines and the pharmaceutical industry. Now, getting back to our jam … As pectin needs an acid to activate fully, we can control the thickness or viscosity of the jam by adding or reducing both the amount of pectin and acid we add. In this recipe, I have increased the amount of pectin and added an acid (the lemon). This will help stabilise the high water/low pectin content of the rockmelon.