Makes: About 1½ cups
Time: About 45 minutes
You’ll be hard pressed to come up with a reason not to make your own jam with a method as simple as this. What little effort it does take is worth the satisfaction of spreading homemade jam on toast in the morning or tucking it in between the layers of a cake or inside a pillowy doughnut (page 127). See this chart for popular flavor combinations.
1. Put the fruit in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. After a minute or so, add the sugar, juice, and seasonings if you’re using them.
3. Adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles steadily, using a higher heat if the mixture looks too soupy; lower the heat if it seems dry. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, 10 to 30 minutes. Taste as you go and add more sugar and/or seasonings as you like. Cool completely and refrigerate; it will thicken more as it cools.
4. Store in the refrigerator, where it will keep for at least a week. Freeze for longer storage. If necessary, remove any seasonings before using.
THICKER FRUIT JAM For fruit low in pectin, like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and peaches, adding pectin will yield a thicker jam in a shorter time; it also helps preserve the fruit’s natural flavor and color: Add 1 tablespoon pectin powder to the fruit with the sugar, seasoning, and juice.
CHIA SEED FRUIT JAM Chia seeds become incredibly gelatinous when you combine them with liquid, creating a jammy consistency with no extra effort for you: Replace the sugar with a tablespoon of honey (or more to taste). Add 2 tablespoons chia seeds after the fruit is removed from the heat.