Thick apricot jam

Recipes for apricot jam for the winter are very diverse and many prefer it to jam because of its uniform consistency and versatility.

Secrets of making jams and marmalades

Many people love sweets from berries and fruits with sugar, but not everyone understands the difference between the same jam, preserves, confiture or preserves. It is often said that this is one and the same dish, the only difference is in which country it originates from. For example, jam is a primordially Russian product, confiture comes from France, jam originates from England, more precisely, from Scotland, and jam - from Poland.

But these dishes differ in their density, and often in the technology of production.

Jam, unlike jam, has a rather dense (jelly-like) consistency. It is traditionally boiled down for a longer time. Unlike jam according to the classic recipe, the fruits for making jam are not specially crushed. They turn into a homogeneous mass during the heat treatment. But confiture most of all resembles jam, being in fact its kind. For the production of jam, special jelly-forming additives are always used. Jam can be prepared with or without them - in a natural way. Accordingly, you can get either a thick confiture, or a liquid one, more like a jam.

Depending on the apricot jam recipe used for the winter, you choose the degree of ripeness of the fruit. If you make the harvest in the traditional way, without the use of jelly-forming additives, then it is better to take either fully ripe fruits, or even greenish ones. It is they who are famous for the increased content of pectin, due to which the finished product solidifies.

In overripe fruits, there is very little pectin, but they are distinguished by increased sweetness, and it is they that are best used for recipes with the addition of pectin or gelatin.

In classic recipes, grinding apricots is not provided, but the seeds are always removed from them. If the hard shell is broken, the nucleoli can be removed. In some varieties, they are devoid of bitterness. After peeling off the brown skin, sweetish kernels can be added to the jam at the last stage of its production. This will give the dish an interesting almond flavor.

In many modern recipes, housewives prefer to grind the apricots almost immediately before starting the jam, using a meat grinder or blender. It is much easier than grinding the product after heat treatment.

Many housewives prefer apricot jam for the winter to all other preparations from these sunny fruits, since it is versatile in use. It is very convenient to spread it on bread or crispy toast.Jam makes an excellent layer for pastries and cakes, and finally, it is ideal as a ready-made filling for pies and other pastries.

A simple recipe for apricot jam

According to this recipe, you do not need to prepare anything in advance except for the actual apricots and sugar. Unless a small amount of butter comes in handy.

Preparation of ingredients and utensils

In a traditional recipe, the amount of sugar should be equal in volume to washed and pitted apricots. If you are using sweet and fully ripe fruits, then the amount of sugar can be reduced slightly. For example, for 1 kg of peeled apricots, take about 750-800 g of sand.

Fruits are thoroughly washed before cooking, then be sure to dry on a paper or linen towel. You don't need water at all to make apricot jam. Even excess liquid must be removed from the fruit in order to obtain the desired consistency of the finished dish.

Apricots are cut into halves and pitted. It is important to choose an enameled pan or stainless steel with a thick bottom for making jam. Its shape is also important - wide with low sides, so that it is convenient to mix the dish during cooking.

Cooking process in detail

The process of making jam according to the classic recipe can take you about a day, since first the apricots must be allowed to stand with sugar.

So, take a saucepan, grease its bottom with a small amount of butter to avoid sticking the jam later. Then lay out the halves of the apricots, sprinkling them with sugar.

Cover the pot with a towel and leave it overnight. This procedure will help the apricots keep their shape better during the jam-making process.

The next day, the sugar will completely dissolve, and the fruits will release a lot of juice. Pour off the excess immediately, because with a large amount of liquid, the workpiece may not thicken as needed. The fruit should only be lightly covered in juice.

Place the pot with apricots on the warmer. If the sugar did not have time to completely dissolve overnight, then the fire should first be low.

After the sugar is completely dissolved, the fire can be increased to maximum. Cook the jam, stirring constantly, for about 15-20 minutes. In the process of boiling, it is imperative to remove the resulting foam from the fruit.

The final stage

Place a few saucers in the freezer beforehand to test if the jam is done. Now you can take out one saucer and put a little jam on it. If the drop does not spread and some solid surface forms on it, then we can say that the dish is ready.

If these signs are not observed, continue to cook the jam for another 5-10 minutes, and then repeat the test. Repeat until you achieve the desired consistency.

The jam can be placed in sterilized small jars (0.5 l) while still hot and immediately screwed on with the lids.

Citric acid apricot jam recipe

There is a slightly different, faster way to make apricot jam for the winter.

You will need:

• 1 kg of pitted apricots;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• 1 g citric acid or 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Wash apricots, remove seeds and grind them with a blender or meat grinder. Add sugar and citric acid and stir again. Place the pot of apricot puree on the heating plate, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. You should not leave the jam for a long time, it is better to stir it regularly with a wooden spatula so that it does not stick to the bottom.

After the apricot mixture has slightly thickened, remove it from the heat, pack it in dry sterilized jars, close with metal lids and store.

Jam from apricots and oranges without cooking

This recipe will attract fans of healthy food, since fruits are not cooked at all during the cooking process, which means that absolutely all useful substances and vitamins are preserved in them.

Prepare:

• 2 kg of apricots;
• 2.5 kg of sugar;
• 2 oranges;
• 1 lemon.

Wash the fruit well under running water and dry it. Cut the oranges and lemon into quarters and remove all the seeds from them.

Then grind them with a blender. It is enough to cut the apricots into halves and also remove the seeds. After that, they are also crushed with a blender.

Gradually, the fruit mass combines with sugar. Everything is thoroughly mixed again. The resulting jam is allowed to stand for several hours at room temperature until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Then it is packaged in small, pre-sterilized glass jars. A tablespoon of sugar is poured into each container to avoid spoilage.

It is necessary to store such a workpiece in the refrigerator.

How to cook apricot jam with apples

Apricots go well with apples, since the latter add some sourness to the finished dish. They also provide the right amount of pectin for a good solidification.

Take 1 kg of apricots, wash and free them from the seeds. Wash 3-4 apples well, separate from the core and cut into 6-8 slices. Prepare a wide saucepan with a thick bottom, preferably not enamelled, but not aluminum either.

Place apricots in a saucepan, add sugar and put on low heat. After the fruits have boiled and juiced, add the chopped apples to them.

Cook over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, constantly stirring the future jam and removing the foam. Then remove the pan from the stove and let it cool slightly.

Take a blender and thoroughly grind the boiled fruit mixture, after which the jam can be laid out in sterile jars and rolled up. The taste of the workpiece turns out to be very delicate and it is stored well even in room conditions.

Thick apricot jam

If you are not attracted by the prolonged boiling of apricots, then try making them with the addition of one of the types of thickener. The very technology of making jam according to these recipes changes little. But in the process, one of the gelling substances is added, which makes it possible to shorten the boiling time of the product and preserve the taste, aroma and useful properties of natural apricots.

Apricot jam with gelatin

This jam recipe is one of the most popular. You will need an equal amount of apricots and sugar (1 kg each) and 40 g of gelatin.

The fruits, as usual, are freed from the seeds, sprinkled with sugar and left for several hours to release the juice. After that, they are crushed with a blender and placed on fire, so that after boiling, the apricot mass is boiled for about 30 minutes.

At the same time, the gelatin is poured with a little warm water and left to swell.

After 30 minutes, the heating is removed. Swollen gelatin is added to the apricots, the mixture is thoroughly mixed and poured into sterile jars.

Apricot jam with pectin

Pectin may be part of a gelling sugar or may be sold separately. It is a natural vegetable thickener without foreign aromas and does not change the color of the workpiece.

The proportions for making apricot jam are the same as in the previous recipe - 1 kg of sugar and a bag of pectin are taken for 1 kg of fruit.

The manufacturing technology is also very similar. After the mixture of apricots and sugar has been cooked for 10-15 minutes, you need to prepare the pectin. A standard sachet usually contains 10 g of powder. Mix its contents with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar.

Add this mixture to boiling apricot jam.

Boil the apricot jam with pectin for no more than 5 minutes. Then put it in sterile jars, screw it up and send it for storage.

Jam from apricots with gelatin

According to this recipe, apricot jam is prepared using a similar technology, since jellfix, like its numerous counterparts such as jamfix, quittin contain the same pectin with sugar and often with citric acid. Therefore, it must be added in the same proportions and in the same sequence as pectin. Usually one standard sachet of zhelix 1: 1 is used in relation to 1 kg of apricots and 1 kg of sugar.

Armenian recipe for apricot jam

The Armenian method of making apricot jam differs from the traditional one in only two points:

• apricots, after removing the seeds, are not crushed, but cut into 4 slices;
• sugar is introduced sequentially, in even portions during the cooking process.

For 1 kg of apricots, about 900 g of granulated sugar is used.

First, about 1/3 of the total amount of sugar prescribed in the recipe is added to the fruit slices. The apricots are brought to a boil. After 10-15 minutes, the second third of the sugar is added to the fruit mass. The apricots are boiled for another 20-30 minutes, and the rest of the sugar is added to them. After that, the workpiece can be boiled for another 5-10 minutes and spread hot in the jars.

Apricot jam in a slow cooker

Although it is not difficult to prepare apricot jam in a slow cooker, it is still not recommended to leave the process to the mercy of fate and go about your business. The dish may just "run away". For the same reason, it is better to fill the multicooker bowl with apricots with sugar no more than half and not close the lid.

For 500 g of fruit, take 0.5 kg of sugar, it is advisable to add 1 tsp. lemon juice.

The first stage is no different from traditional technology. The apricots are washed, separated from the seeds, placed in a multicooker bowl and covered with sugar.

Then the “Baking” mode is switched on for 60 minutes and the process begins. The lid should be open - the jam will need to be stirred from time to time. Five minutes before the end of the process, add lemon juice and stir. When the multicooker turns off, the jam is laid out in sterile jars.

Secrets of making apricot jam in a bread maker

A bread maker can also make life much easier for the hostess, especially if you do not need to make large quantities of jam.

You also don't need any special preparations, but you can experiment with adding different ingredients without spending much effort. After all, the bread maker will do most of the work, especially mixing, for you. The finished portion turns out to be small and it is not a pity if the taste of a batch does not quite suit you.

To get started, you can try using the following recipe. Take 1 kg each of sugar and apricots, 1 lemon and a piece of ginger about 5 cm long.

Grind the fruit along with other ingredients using a meat grinder or blender, place in the bowl of a bread machine, set the program "Jam" or "Jam", click on "Start".

An hour and a half later, after the end of the device, just open the lid, pack the finished product into cans and this process can be considered complete.

Other varieties of apricot jam

In the process of making jam, do not be afraid to experiment - after all, apricots go well with many other fruits and berries: raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, not to mention citrus fruits.

For spice lovers, it will be tempting to add cinnamon and vanilla. A mixture of cloves, star anise, ginger and bay leaves will help create a unique taste of the finished dish, which can also be used as a sauce for meat and fish dishes.

A variety of nuts go well with apricots, and the addition of rum or cognac will make the taste of the jam richer and extend its shelf life.

Conclusion

A variety of recipes for apricot jam for the winter will allow any housewife to choose a suitable one for themselves and preserve a piece of sunny summer for the cold season.

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