Every year we make marmalades and jams. Even though we like to try new recipes we have some that we repeat over and over again. Sunny Apricot Jam is one of them. I am not going to take credit for the making of it since I only helped out peeling the fruit. No matter how much I enjoy cooking jams and inventing new combinations of flavours, Roberto is the real master of marmalades and jams in our house. He is the one keeping track when the fruit is in season and when is the best time for preserving it. Sunny Apricot Jam is made of fresh apricots with flavour of bitter almond and vanilla and it is without doubt the tastiest apricot jam I have ever tried!
Recipe for Sunny Apricot Jam
Gives approx. 3000 g jam
Ingredients
12 bitter almonds
2400 g ripe fresh apricots
600 g water
1600 g sugar
2 lemons ( the juice )
2 vanilla pods
Method
Place the bitter almonds in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Pour the water out and now cover them in cold water. Peel the almonds and mix them in a pestle or a mixer until you get a smooth mash. Blanch the apricots for a minute or two and then put them in cold water. Remove the peel with a knife. Split them in halves and remove the stones. If you want to you can cut the fruit into smaller pieces. It depends on how you like the texture of your jam. Place the sugar and water in a big pan and bring to a quick boil. Let it boil until the temperature reaches 113°C / 235°F, using a thermometer. Add the apricots, lemon juice and bitter almonds. Split the vanilla pods and use a spoon scraping the seeds out and add it to the jam. Let it boil for ten minutes stirring once in a while. If it appears any foam on the surface remove it with a spoon. Cook the jam until it reaches 106°C / 223°F ( use a thermometer for best result ). Pour the jam into sterilised jars and put the lids on at once. If you sterilise the jars properly the jam will stay fine for a long time. I would say for at least six months ( or longer ) if stored in a cool place. Enjoy on your breakfast sandwich!
Sterilising jars
Place cleaned jars in the oven on 125°C / 257°F for 20 minutes. If you are using lids that doesn’t go in the oven just put them in boiling water for five minutes, take them out and let them dry on paper towels.
veggietown.net 
One thought on “Sunny Apricot Jam”