An opened jar of jam empties slowly in most homes. Yet jam is an ingredient with uses beyond breakfast, and there are technical reasons for that.
What functions does jam serve in the kitchen?
There are three.
The first is sweetening. Jam brings fruit aroma alongside sugar.
Used in place of sugar, the flavour becomes more layered.
The second is consistency. Pectin in jam thickens sauces.
A sauce consistency can be achieved without starch or flour.
The third is acid. Fruit jams are acidic, which balances fatty and meat dishes.
That third function is the basis of savoury uses.
Thought of as a sauce component, jam's range of use widens markedly.
Its high sugar content also delivers caramelisation, forming colour and a crust in the oven and the pan.
How is it used in sweet recipes?
Five uses stand out.
The first is a biscuit filling. A well is made in the dough and jam is spooned in.
The jam thickens during baking; runny jams overflow while thicker ones stay put.
The second is a filling for roulade, spread over a thin sponge and rolled.
The third is tarts. Fruit jam is spread over the base and fruit arranged on top.
The fourth is a sauce for yoghurt and ice cream, thinned with a little water and poured over.
The fifth is soaking a cake. Jam is mixed with water into a syrup and brushed onto sponge.
One rule is common to all five: the consistency must be adjusted.
Jam from the jar is too thick for most applications; a spoonful or two of hot water loosens it.
| Recipe | Type of jam | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biscuit filling | Thick | 1 teaspoon each | Runny jam overflows |
| Roulade | Medium | 200 g per sponge | Spread thinly |
| Yoghurt sauce | Thinned | 1 tablespoon | Loosened with water |
| Chicken glaze | Apricot, sour cherry | 3 spoons | Add vinegar |
| Cheese board | Cranberry, fig | 2 spoons | Straight from the jar |
| Salad dressing | Raspberry | 1 spoon | With oil and vinegar |
Why do savoury pairings work?
Pairing sweet with savoury is not new; it is a classic in many cuisines.
The mechanism works three ways.
The first is the salt-sugar contrast. The two tastes bring one another forward.
A little sugar creates depth in a savoury dish.
The second is acid. Fruit acid cuts the weight of fatty meat.
That is why apple sauce pairs with pork and cherry sauce with duck.
The third is caramelisation. Sugar from the jam forms a crust on meat.
That crust adds both colour and texture.
In savoury use jam never goes in alone; it is balanced with vinegar, mustard or soy sauce.
Otherwise the dish comes out too sweet.
What are the ten recipes?
Five sweet and five savoury.
The first is jam biscuits, with thick jam in a well pressed into the dough.
The second is a jam roulade.
The third is a yoghurt bowl: strained yoghurt, jam and nuts.
The fourth is a crêpe filling.
The fifth is a sauce for milk puddings, poured over muhallebi.
The sixth is apricot-glazed chicken: three spoons of jam, a spoon of vinegar, mustard and spices brushed over the chicken before roasting.
The seventh is a sour cherry sauce for meat, the jam simmered with vinegar and stock.
The eighth is a raspberry vinaigrette: jam, olive oil, vinegar and mustard whisked together.
The ninth is an accompaniment for a cheese board: cranberry or fig jam served with mature cheeses.
The tenth is a sandwich spread: jam mixed with mustard, used in toasties and sandwiches.
How is the consistency of jam adjusted?
The consistency should be changed to suit the use.
For spreading, the jar consistency suffices.
For a sauce, a spoonful of hot water goes into a spoonful of jam.
For a glaze, the jam is warmed briefly and thinned.
For a filling the opposite applies; the jam is simmered to drive off water and thicken.
A spoonful of starch can be used too, but it dulls the flavour.
Large pieces of fruit in jam are a problem for some uses.
For sauces and glazes the jam should be passed through a sieve.
For biscuit fillings and tarts the chunky version is better.
A blender can be used, but it breaks down the pectin structure and thins the consistency.
How is the acid balanced?
Jam is sweet, and that requires adjustment in savoury recipes.
A spoonful of acid goes in for every three spoons of jam.
Cider vinegar is the most neutral.
Balsamic is more intense and darker; it suits meat sauces.
Lemon juice is sharper and is used in dressings.
Mustard adds both acid and pungency.
Soy sauce adds salt and umami; it works well with jam in Asian-style sauces.
The balance of sweet and acid should be set by tasting.
A sauce reads sweeter while hot; it should be tasted again once cooled.
How is an open jar used up?
Opened jam keeps two to four weeks in the fridge.
After that, mould can develop at the surface.
A jar showing mould should be discarded entirely; removing the top layer is not enough.
As the window closes, jam can be used up in batch applications.
Several jars can go into cakes and biscuits at once.
Different jams can be combined; the result is usually good.
It can also be frozen; portioned in an ice tray it keeps six months.
Those portions are practical for sauces and smoothies.
A clean, dry spoon should be used; a knife that has touched bread contaminates the jar and markedly shortens its life.
Which jam suits which use?
The type of jam determines the use directly.
Sour cherry and cranberry are acidic; the group that works best with meat and cheese.
Apricot and peach are moderately acidic; suited to glazes and chicken.
Strawberry and raspberry are strong in sweet applications, and their acidity serves in sauces too.
Fig jam is low in acid and intense; preferred on a cheese board.
Orange and citrus jams contain peel and carry a light bitterness, which balances fatty meats.
Mixed fruit jams suit every use moderately without standing out in any of them.
