I know! I bought that book last week. I saw that receipe and called my cousin (she LOVES carrot cake). She said it sounded interesting but she wouldn't commit to trying it. She said it seemed exotic. LOL. Oh well, at least I tried to make something specifically for her!

let us know how it tastes!

I have that recipe tabbed with a post-it.

DH thought that recipe sounded really good.

I'm more interested in the apple pie jam on the facing page. Except that I can't see why you need commercial pectin with apples. Then I could cut the sugar.

Carol

Carol

the reason you want pectin with the apple pie jam (and it's one of two recipes I use with pectin), is that you want the apple pieces to be still whole, which means very short cooking. If you cook it without (I tried), the cooking time is too long and the apples become sauce. Same taste, but the texture leaves a bit to be desired.

Marie

But with the French plunge method you can keep apple pieces whole and still do without the pectin. If I can keep pears and apricots whole, I'm sure I can do it with apples. You just have to modify the cooking method.

If I try it this fall, I'll report on the results.

Carol

French plunge method? Hummm, never heard of that, or maybe we know it under another name? Would you care to explain Carol?

thanks, Marie

Well, Beverly Alfeld calls it the French Plunge method in her Jamlady Cookbook, but I've seen variations of the same method used in many cookbooks that focus on traditional preserves, so it's been in use for a long, long time. I have a feeling that's her designation.

OK, basically what you do is cook the fruit in sugar syrup or sweetened juices, but only until tender or translucent. Then you pull the fruit out and continue to cook down the syrup to the jell point. At that point you return the fruit and cook briefly until the jell point is restored.

This is a method for creating preserves (as opposed to jams) where the fruit maintains its integrity as discernable whole berries (i.e. strawberry preserves) or chunks (i.e. peach, mango, pear, apricot, etc.)

Sometimes fruit is plunged into the syrup more than once at intervals then rested between. The fruit becomes tender and softens but does not disintigrate. Many fruits become almost translucent or like glace.

Here's an example. This is a recipe with very basic instructions. This isn't a recipe I've made, but one I'm thinking about. Below I'll explain how it might be modified.

Apple and Maple Preserves

12 cups finely peeled, cored and chopped tart apples (about 6 pounds)
6 cups sugar
1 cup grade A maple syrup (light or medium)
1-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Cook all ingredients together until they thicken. Stir well so the jam does not burn. BWB 10 minutes.

OK. So first I would think about appearance and taste. The maple syrup will darken the preserve but I still want the general appearance of larger pieces of apple floating in a translucent syrup. So I'd skip the ground spices in flavor of whole spices in a bag or I'd use a drop of oil of cinnamon and perhaps skip the other spices for a cleaner taste so the maple stands out.

Cut the peeled, cored apple in wedges (8ths?) and cut wedges across into about 1/4" slices. Put in acidulated water (ascorbic acid) to retain whiteness.

Drain prepped apples and layer in a large bowl with sugar. Cover and let sit several hours or overnight (refrigerator) to weep juices. Stir whenever I remember.

Remove bowl, stir to distribute undissolved sugar and pour mixture into preserving pan. (At this point or later, spices and perhaps some lemon juice can be added. Depends on how pronounced you want spices to be.) Cook on medium until sugar has dissolved. Raise heat to medium-high and cook approximately 10 minutes until apple pieces are tender and glazed. Stir gently, using a spatula or wooden spoon. Skim foam if needed.

Pull preserves off burner. Let mixture cool and sit overnight again. (Apple pieces plump and absorb some of the syrup.) Next day drain off syrup. Reserve fruit. Add maple syrup to sugar syrup in pan. (I'd probably taste now and decide on spices - which and how much. Might skip spices in favor of vanilla, now that I think of it.) Cook at high or medium-high until syrup hits jell point. (220-221 degrees or use cold plate test). Return fruit and any syrup fruit exuded to pan. Cook a minute or so until mixture is back to jell point. Skim if necessary.

Pull pan off burner and let mixture rest 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute fruit. (This helps prevent floating fruit.) Bottle as usual and BWB 10 minutes.

So that's the French plunge method and some other strategies as well. There is another way to do this, but it's just a variation on the same technique.

As I said, I haven't made this recipe, but I've used this method with apricots, pears, strawberries, and most recently a pineapple marmalade. It may seem time-consuming, but most of the time, as with bread, is wait time, not hands-on.

You'll see on the Forum other members who use or mention this technique also, Annie and Melly among them, and you will run across a number of recipes for preserves that are similar in their approach. Christine Ferber's "Mes Confitures" uses the method and so does Madelaine Bullwinkel in "Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine." Bullwinkel is especially imaginative in her approach. I just made some raspberry-currant preserves from her recipe and her spiced blueberry preserves are wonderful.

Carol

Oh, Gardengrl, that recipe looks like a Christmas gift waiting to happen - if I can keep from eating it all!

Carol,
I've also used the method to make jam out of a perserves recipe. I just mushed the fruit up a bit. My strawberry and apricot jams did not have any floating fruit. And the fruit doesn't taste too cooked either.
Melly

Melly, my favorite jam of all time is Boysenberry using Ferber's recipe. (Well, and there's her seedless raspberry, which is also fabulous, and now that I think of it . . .) Good point that these methods work well for jams as well as preserves and do give more control for a fresher flavor.

Carol

Did anyone try the carrot cake jam?

or the Apple and Maple Preserves?

I've made the apple maple preserves. It's very sweet, but very good. I ended up using it for coffee cake filling. I think if I make it again I will do something with pomona and lower the sugar- and it would be excellent!

I also found a couple of carrot jam recipes in Mes Confitures using orange, cardamom and one using cinnamon. Similar concept... I love raisins in my carrot cake too, so I wonder if those could be added to the recipe above

This absolutely does *not* need the pectin. There's a very high proportion of sugar to fruit (6.5 cups of sugar to less than 5 cups of fruit) and after 20 minutes of cooking, it's already set without adding pectin. Unfortunately, since it was the first time I'd made the recipe, I followed what it said and now I can't even get a knife into the "jam." It's more like candy. It did taste good when it was still hot and liquid, though! I would cut way back on the sugar if I made it again, too -- there's no need for more sugar than fruit.

I made it today. It does use a lot of sugar in proportion to the amount of fruit. I followed the recipe exactly. It's still setting. From licking the spoon afterwards, it tastes really good. I'm thinking that I can mix it in with some cream cheese for a spice cake filling...or use it on scones. I'll let you know if mine gets too hard as pasadenadi said.

Reading Lady...can you post the APPLE PIE JAM? I've got the 2009 Ball Blue Book and don't see it. I don't have Ball's Complete Books of Home Canning and I'm curious. I do see the carrot cake jam, but not the Apple Pie jam...thanks!

June Lynn

Here's the sure jell version.

SURE.JELL Dutch Apple Pie Jam
4 cups Prepared fruit (about 1 lb. Granny Smith or other tart green apples)
1-1/4 cups Water
1/2 cup Raisins
2 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground allspice
1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp. Butter or margarine (optional)
4 cups Granulated sugar, measured into separate bowl (See tip below.)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
Make It

BRING boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

PEEL and core apples; finely chop or grind. Add water and raisins. Measure exactly 4 cups into 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice.

STIR pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.

STIR in all sugars quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon

LADLE quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Notes: I like to use apple juice instead of water. I forgot to put the brown sugar in once and it set fine (I imagine it is all the pectin in the apples). In the future I would probably use the brown sugar and cut back the white sugar by a cup.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/surejell-dutch-apple-57361.aspx

I made the carrot cake jam earlier this year when pears when on sale and I pulled up the last of my carrots...IT IS MY FAVORITE! I only have one jar left and I'm savoring it. And I've deemed this 'The year of Jam'. I made the carrot cake jam, blackberry jam, strawberry jam, strawberry lemon marmalade, red pepper jam, tomato jam, peach jam and who knows what else and carrot cake is still my favorite!

I love the apple maple jam, although, as Carol mentioned, the spices do darken it. The apples stay in pieces, though, they don't mush up unless you use something that cooks up quickly, like MacIntosh.

I've definitely got to try the carrot cake jam this year...

Annie

I only used half the amount the cloves and nutmeg called for in the recipe and still thought they were a little strong. For my taste I think 1/8 teaspoon of each would do the job. But I'm not a huge fan of cloves so it makes sense. My mom liked it. I gave her the little bit that didn't make it into the jars.

I have to agree with mellyofthesouth. The spices are too strong. I put in the full amount as per the recipe. It is a good tasting recipe, though.....

I made this recipe as well the final product came out good. I just dont understand after putting the carrots, fruit and spices in the pot they tell you to boil for 20 min. There's not that much liquid ? I did as the directions said and boiled gently for 20 min but there was NO juice left in the pot.

I know this is an older forum, but maybe someone will find it and help me out... I made this recipe exactly as written in the Ball book with the one exception of decreasing the sugar to 3 cups and using low-sugar pectin. But I thought it tasted like pineapple jam, with almost no carrot flavor at all! And I used my fresh-pulled garden carrots so I don't think they are to blame. Not a bad flavor, just not carrot cake jam. Does anyone have a carrot jam recipe without the pineapple?

Also I found it to be too thick just like pasadenadi. Almost too firm to spread.

Thanks for your help!

I have tons of pears now, but no carrots and to buy carrots would be awful since we have several thousand square feet growing.

Is there a way I can freeze the pears and make this jam later this fall when the carrots are ready?

Thanks,

Jay

Jay, I make jam with frozen fruit all the time. If you wanted pears for fruit salad or something to be eaten without cooking it would be different in texture but since you are cooking the pears in jam, it will work fine.

Annie

Thank you Annie, What would be the best way to prepare the pears for freezing? I read different places and does this sound good?

Juice or Water Pack (Unsweetened Pack)- Blanch pears in fruit juice (apple or white grape) or water for two minutes. Let cool. Then, pack the pears in jars (of other freezer-safe containers), and fill in the empty space with the juice or water, being sure to leave the proper headspace. Use a piece of crumbled up wax paper to keep the pears submerged. Then, seal and freeze.

We will be trying some method for sure.

Jay