NY Anything - It's a New York thing

7/08/2009

說自製果醬 Something about jam making


一直很想把做果醬的食譜寫下來,但遲遲都寫不完整 。舊金山格友 Min 的詳細介紹,足足讓你功力精進百倍。想想自己動手做果醬好像是好多年以前的事,第一次做的是草莓白蘭地果醬,當時是住在溫哥華的烘焙生手,食譜是從 Cooking Light 雜誌裡看到的。食譜中只有3種材料,草莓,砂糖和檸檬汁。很簡單也不易出錯,只是這種果醬只能放在冰箱冷藏,也必須快快在一星期內吃完。我自作主張的加了一點點白蘭地,意外的棒。接下來每年做個一種兩種,自己都記不太清楚到底做過什麼。一直到最近幾年來才有用數位相機拍照,所以還有一點記錄。Here they are:

2006 杏桃 Apricot vanilla jam
2006 血橙 Blood orange marmalade

2008 酸櫻桃 Sour cherry orange preserves
2008 白桃 White peach jam
2008 野草莓 Tristar strawberry preserves
2008 葡萄 Concord grape jelly

2009 金桔 Kumquat marmalade
2009 葡萄柚大黃 Rhubarb grapefruit preserves
2009 黃李水蜜桃 Yellow plum and peach preserves with ginger
2009 紅李伯爵茶 Plum with Earl Grey tea preserve
照片請看我的 I Love Jam

根據這幾次的經驗,我覺得有幾件事值得一提:
1.根據水果種類和重量來決定砂糖份量。例如:野草莓果醬的砂糖份量是百分之二十五,一般草莓大概用百分之二十。葡萄柚大黃就需要用到百分之五十的砂糖份量,不然會太酸,根本不能入口。所以是根據水果的種類、成熟度和甜度來決定。

2. 我個人比較喜歡將切好的水果和砂糖混和均勻,放進冰箱一晚,這樣可以讓水果出汁,果醬製作起來,收汁會比較快速,水果容易保持完整塊狀,尤其對於不加果膠的果醬幫助更大。

3. 柑橘類的果醬需要加水先煮,同時去苦汁和使橘皮軟化。

4.有一些水果容易氧化變色,在做葡萄柚大黃果醬時尤其明顯,因為大黃的顏色變的很快。原本很漂亮的粉紅 、粉橘色一下子就變暗變灰,最後果醬是很好吃,但顏色上我不是很滿意。

做完之後一直想如何能改進這個問題,突然有一天想起一個以前在 Craft 餐廳上班時,甜點主廚 Karen DeMoasco (現在她是 Locanda Verde 的甜點主廚 )曾經使用的一個祕密材料:維他命c粉。

維他命c粉可以在維他命專賣店裡買到,一次只需要用一點點,所以買最小瓶的就好。1000公克的水果只需要1/2小匙就可以了。千萬不要加太多,加太多會破壞原本水果的原味。


在這裡極力推薦 Min 的文章中友提到的幾篇延伸閱讀,尤其是 Chow 美食網上的 June Taylor 的影音片段,真的可以學到不少有關果醬製作的手法和技巧。

日本甜點研究家五十嵐路美的日文翻譯新書 “ 甜蜜日日。我愛果醬 “ 也值得一讀。雖然這不是一本食譜書,但是她的文章讀起來輕鬆愉快,書中敘說從她如何開始在法國藍帶甜點學校學習一直到開 Romi-Unie Confiture 果醬專賣店的過程。


延伸閱讀
搞不懂的果醬英文名稱 What is the difference between jam, jelly, marmalade, preserves, conserve, and fruit butter?

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6 Comments:

Anonymous TK said...
  

wow, you do love jam. And are those skin of grapefruit in the picture? How you cut them so neatly? Amazing.

I don't eat that much of jam and I prefer them with a lit bit sourer taste. My favorites are lingo berry jelly and citrus marmalade. Wish have the chance to try your Blood orange marmalade, Kumquat marmalade, and Rhubarb grapefruit preserves. :D

7/08/2009 10:14:00 PM  
Blogger Jessica said...
  

Thanks, TK. I do love jams, specially love making them. It's a challenge, because it may turn out a little bit different every time.

About the grapefruit peel, I use vegetable peel, carefully remove them and chop it with a chef knife.

I love the sour taste on my jams too! I usually don't use any commercial pectin and use much less sugar! Will bring you some if I go to visit you!!!

7/09/2009 02:23:00 AM  
Blogger Sharon said...
  

Dear Jessica,ur blog is cool!!!I'm so glad that i can find ur blog. Could u pls tell me how to make jam with earl grey? thanks a million~

7/13/2009 12:10:00 PM  
Blogger Jessica said...
  

Hello, Sharon, welcome!

When I make the red plum with earl grey, I use 500g plum and 100g of sugar, it come out at the sour side. When you prepare the tea, steep 1 cup of boiling water with 2 TBS loose tea for 15 minutes, strain the tea leaves and reduce the tea to 1/4 cup, then add it to the jam mixture. ( when the jam is thicken and almost ready)

Good luck!!

7/13/2009 06:33:00 PM  
Blogger Sharon said...
  

Hey Jessica, thanks for your detail recipe, you are really nice :)

by the way, besides red plum, any other fruit matches earl grey?

Thx a million!

7/14/2009 10:22:00 AM  
Blogger Jessica said...
  

I might try to make Strawberry with the earl grey tea as well. What do you think?

7/15/2009 12:54:00 AM  

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