Delicious UK – (01)January 2021

If you’re newtojam-makingorwanttogetmorecomfortablearoundpectin,thefirstofour

new rainy-dayprojectswillseeyouright.JamesStrawbridge’sclassicmarmaladewillfillyour

kitchen withthescentoforangesandyourcupboardwithjarsofbittersweetloveliness

THEPROJECT

Jamesisa
Cornwall-based
photographer,
recipedeveloper
andeco-living
expert.He’s
written several booksandbeen
a regular on TVinshowssuch
as The Hungry Sailorswithhis
dad Dick and It’sNotEasy
Being Green. Hislatestbook,
The Artisan Kitchen,isoutnow

• see p75.

THE SCIENCEOF
JAM MAKING
To create a traditionaljam,fruit
and sugar are boiledinlarge
quantities until theyreacha soft,
spreadable consistency.Boiling
reduces the watercontentandhelps
release the naturalchemicalglue
in fruit, known aspectin.It’sthe
combination of pectinandacid
in the fruit, plus addedsugar,
that allows the mixture to set.
The standard ratio of fruit to
sugar for a jam you plan to keep
in a cupboard for a season should
be 1:1, but you can tweak the ratios
to find your ideal texture.

PECTIN, SUGAR AND THE
‘GEL NETWORK’
Pectin is a soluble starch found in
the cell walls and non-woody parts
of all ripe fruit (skin, pith, core
and pips). Without it, jam and
marmalade wouldn’t set, as pectin
strands bind together to form a gel
network that traps the sugar/fruit

WHISKY

MARMALADE

mixture, forming a soft jelly. Some

fruit are naturally lower in pectin

than others, so they need an added

source such as citrus peel and pips

or stone fruit; or you can increase

the sugar content, which helps the

pectin strands bind to each other

by drawing water away from them

(this is also what boiling does – it

gradually removes the water,

effectively increasing the sugar until

the correct balance is reached).

THE ROLE OF ACID

Fruit contains acid, which helps

to break down its cell walls during

cooking, drawing out the pectin

and also helping the pectin strands

to bond. If there isn’t sufficient acid

in the fruit, citric acid can be added

to boost the setting process (lemon

juice, which is high in citric acid, can

be added to lower-acidity fruits such

as peaches or melon, for example). →

JAMES’STIPS

• Potjamwhilethejarsarestillhot
  frombeingsterilisedintheoven
  andthejamisabove85°Ctokilloff
  unwantedmicrobes.Coveringthe
  topwitha discofbakingpaper
  helpsstopmouldgrowingontop
  andthemixturefromdryingout.


• If yourmarmaladeorjamendsup
  toosolid,eitherfromovercooking
  orusingjamsugar(whichhas
  addedpectin)witha fruitthat’s
  alreadyhighinpectin,stirinsome
  grapejuicetoloosenit.


• Usefreshfruitformarmaladeand
  jam– whenit’soverripeit contains
  lesspectin.Thatsaid,jamisa great
  waytouseupfruitthat’ssoftor
  bruised.Justremembertobumpup
  thepectinleveltohelpit set.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 73

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