I love making the most of a summer’s abundance of fruit so I was delighted recently when I discovered that the slow cooker can be a great asset for preserving. I found that the preserves made in the slow cooker have slightly different characteristics to those made on the stovetop; for instance the flavours are slightly stronger and pleasingly sharper.
The slow cooker is perfect for softening the fruit for jam or marmalade and this slow cooking process seems to help in extracting maximum pectin, which means the jam will set well and more quickly. It is best to use fruits that do not oxidise, such as berries or dark plums. However, you can combine fruits that tend to go brown when exposed to air, such as nectarines and peaches, with non-oxidising fruit, such as raspberries, to make jams such as the delicious peach and raspberry jam in this section.
When the fruit is soft, transfer it to a large saucepan on the stovetop, add the sugar and boil for 20–30 minutes until setting point is reached.
Savoury preserves such as chutney and relishes can be made entirely in the slow cooker. They just need a little extra thickening at the end.
Setting point and sterilising jars and bottles
To know when you have reached setting point, place 2 teaspoons of the hot mixture on a cold saucer, place in the fridge for a few minutes. Run your finger through the cold jam; if the surface is quite firm and wrinkles when you pull your finger through it, the jam has reached setting point.
To sterilise the jars, wash in hot soapy water, rinse and place upside down on a clean cloth or dish drainer to drain. Place on a tray in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 110°C (fan forced) or 130°C (not fan forced). When the oven reaches this temperature, turn off the heat and leave the bottles for 10 minutes. To make sure the lids are sterile, thoroughly wash and dry them. When the lid is placed on the jar of hot jelly, turn the jar briefly upside down – the heat of the jelly will sterilise the lid.
PEACH AND RASPBERRY JAM
Makes approximately 1.1 litres
(for a 3.2-3.5 litre slow cooker)
You will need about 650g peaches for this recipe as 500g of peach flesh is needed. You can double the quantities in this recipe if you have a larger cooker.
500g sliced or diced peach flesh, chopped
500g fresh or (thawed) frozen raspberries
1kg sugar
Place the raspberries and peaches in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Place lid on cooker and cook on Low for 5 hours until the peaches are soft.
Allow to cool slightly (for ease of handling), then transfer the mixture to a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then stir in the sugar. Bring back to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then boil over medium heat until setting point is reached (see page 224).
Pour into warm sterilised jars (see page 224) and seal immediately.
Store in a very cool, dry, dark place or in the fridge. Refrigerate after opening.
BERRY JELLY
Makes approximately 900ml
(for a 3.2-3.5 litre slow cooker)
This jelly is delicious served on scones, fresh bread, pikelets or toast. It can be melted as needed and used as a glaze over berry tarts. Add ½ teaspoon to a cup of gravy for a lovely subtle fruitiness or add 1 teaspoon to a casserole-style dish.
1kg fresh or (thawed) frozen berries
juice 1 lemon
1 cup water
sugar
Place the berries, lemon juice and water in the slow cooker. Place the lid on the cooker and cook on Low for 5 hours. Leave until cool enough to handle, then strain though a fine sieve, pressing the berries down to break them up to extract maximum liquid. Strain the resulting juice through a sieve lined with a single layer of muslin (or even a thin cloth).
Measure the resulting liquid and place in a large saucepan. Add 1 cup of sugar for each cup of juice and bring to the boil, stirring. Boil until setting point is reached (see page 224). Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately (see page 224).
Store in a very cool, dry, dark place or in the fridge. Refrigerate after opening.
MARMALADE
Makes approximately 1.4 litres
(for a 3.5-5 litre slow cooker)
The peel softened in the slow cooker leads to a delicious tart marmalade, much like Seville orange marmalade, with the convenience of being able to make it any time of the year using any type of orange. I like to cut the fruit by hand for this recipe – it leads to a lovely, somewhat chunky, texture.
500g oranges
1 lemon
5 cups water
1.5kg sugar
Finley slice or chop the oranges and lemons and place in the slow cooker with the water. Place the lid on the cooker and cook on Low for 5-6 hours until the skins are soft. When the cooker is cool enough to handle, pour the contents into a large pot and add the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Boil for 20-25 minutes over medium heat until setting point is reached (see page 224). Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately (see page 224).
Store in a very cool, dry, dark place or in the fridge. Refrigerate after opening.
PLUM OR BERRY SYRUP
Makes approximately 1.5 litres
(for a 3.5-4.5 litre slow cooker)
You can use any type of plums to make this syrup. I like the dark skins and flesh of blood plums which make the colour of the finished syrup sensational and the flavour intense.
It can be served as a cordial, mixing one part syrup with 4 parts chilled water, soda water or lemonade. It is also delicious served over ice cream or panna cotta.
1kg blood or Japanese plums or berries
3 cups water
sugar
2 level teaspoons citric or tartaric acid
Place the plums or berries and water in the slow cooker with the water. Cover with the lid and cook for 8 hours on Low.
Pour the mixture through a sieve (without pressing any of the pulp through), and if a really clear syrup is desired, pour the resulting liquid through another sieve lined with muslin or fine cloth.
Pour into a large saucepan. For each cup of the resulting liquid add 1 cup of sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and simmer for two minutes only. Stir in the citric acid. Pour into warm sterilised bottles and seal immediately (see page 224).
Store in the fridge or in a very cool, dry, dark place. Refrigerate after opening.
TOMATO RELISH
Makes approximately 1 litre
(for a 3.5 to 4.5 litre slow cooker)
You can peel the tomatoes for this recipe if you like but I never do. If you choose to do so, plunge the whole tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds, then into iced water, after which the skins should slip off easily.
This recipe can also be used as a tomato sauce (ketchup) by simply puréeing the mixture at the end of the process with a stick blender. In this case use one teaspoon less of the cornflour.
1kg ripe tomatoes
250g onions
1 cooking apple (such as Granny Smith or Golden Delicious), cored and grated
250g sugar
1½ teaspoons curry powder
1½ teaspoons mustard powder
1 tablespoon salt
1¼ cups white vinegar
6 teaspoons cornflour mixed to a paste with 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
Dice the tomatoes and onions and place in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients, except the cornflour paste. Place the lid on the cooker and cook on High for 6 hours. Stir in the cornflour paste, cover with the lid and cook for 10 minutes more.
Pour into warm sterilised bottles (see page 224) and seal immediately.
Store in a very cool, dry, dark place or in the fridge. Refrigerate after opening.
QUINCE CHEESE
(for a 3.2-3.5 litre slow cooker)
unblemished quinces (however many your slow cooker will hold)
¾ cup water
sugar
Rub the quinces with a dry cloth to remove any remaining furry ‘bloom’. Place the whole quinces into the slow cooker and pour over the water. Place the lid on the cooker and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or until very soft. Leave to cool, then cut the flesh (including the skin) from the core and press through a sieve or food mill. For each cup of the resulting purée, add 1 cup of sugar. Place in a large pot and bring to the boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook over low heat, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon until the stage when the spoon is dragged through the middle of the mixture it leaves a clear trail to the base of the pan.*
Line a square or rectangular tin with foil and pour mixture in (the size of the tin will depend on the amount of mixture – the cheese should be about 1.25cm thick). Leave to set, then cut into squares to serve as part of a cheese platter. Small squares are also very nice coated in chocolate for a special sweet treat, or even simply rolled in castor sugar.