Sticky Business

In June I fell in love with a book. I should back up and say, I love anything French. Clothes, soap, food, music, their reputation of being aloof, gorgeous papers, my hair stylist...

So, while in La Cuisine, the most charming, tiny, packed with all things authentic and good store for cooks, I spotted a book recently translated from French (On Tish!) to English. One look at the cover photo of "Old Bachelor's Jam" I knew, that book was coming home with me.

After reading, "do not rinse your berries, for fear they will loose their fragrance" I felt I had met a kindred spirit. The book is written with a gentle hand, much intuition and very few details. So French!

In late June I began an intimate relationship with fruit and sugar. I have taught myself to skim without a skimmer, ladle with out a funnel, how far I can push the lemon juice, taste the fruit and adjust the sugar.
I have learned to cut peaches so each piece is pretty, chosen saffron from Spain and vanilla beans from Papua New Guinea. I now know that shelled walnuts have "papers", and that pear-vanilla pine nut and walnut jam calls for walnuts without papers! This morning I carefully picked 3 1/2 ounces of walnuts out of a half pound. Most of them, fortunately! had lost much of their paper already. The rest, I cradled in my hands and rubbed gently while paper bits sifted through my fingers.

I have learned about fruits with lots, little or next to no pectin which leads me to the big one...I have learned how to "check the set". I know now when the bubbles in the simmering pot are getting small and the steam less and less it is time to spoon some of the juice on to my marble slab. I can tell, by how far the drop spreads and if when cool, my finger leaves a wake when run through it the jam will set.

All of the jams I have made start on one day and finish on the next. I was so disappointed when I first read though the recipes and mid way they all start a new paragraph with "and the next day". You mean I can not make this jam start to finish NOW? Nope. The fruit is combined with the sugar. Brought to a simmer and covered with parchment (there's that kindred spirit again) and left to rest until...the next day. I have learned fruit absorbs sugar more effectively when not rushed.

I now have jars of green apple jelly, also known as pectin stock, a staple in a jammers pantry. Who would have known? And I know that now, while the apples are on the tree without their first blushing cheeks they will make the most pectiny stock.

My jams of Summer:
Old Bachelor's
Black raspberry
Blackberry
Peach raspberry
Peach orange
Peach with saffron
Green Apple
Peach raspberry with cardamon
Morello cherry
Pear-vanilla with pine nuts and walnuts.

Do you know the seedless currant jam made in France? Each currant had it's seed removed with a quill. If I turn currants up at the Farmer's Market I will hunt down a quill. I have learned to love the process, and I have learned patience.