bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Susan Jung

Preserves can be made year round, using whatever ingredients are in season. I was lucky this year to get hold of Seville oranges but I have also made jam from kumquats, pears, apples and guavas.
Sterilise canning jars by filling them with boiling water and leaving for a few minutes. Pour out the water then invert the jars on a dish drainer until you need them. Put the canning lids and ladle in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave them until needed.
Seville orange marmalade (pictured)
1kg Seville oranges
1.25kg granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
30ml fresh lemon juice
30ml Grand Marnier or whisky
Cut the oranges in half, squeeze out the juice and reserve the seeds. Strain the juice through a fine sieve, then refrigerate for later. There will be a lot of membrane left in the rind - pull it out and discard it. Cut the rind into pieces that are as thin as possible and 2cm or less in length. Put the seeds onto a square of cheesecloth, bring up the sides and tie with kitchen twine to form a loose bag. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the rind and boil for 30 seconds. Pour the water and rind through a colander. Repeat this process with fresh water two more times. Pour three litres of fresh water into the pot, add the blanched orange rind and the bag of seeds and bring to the boil. Simmer for about an hour, or until the peel is tender when you taste a piece. Take the pot off the heat and leave for eight to 12 hours.
Put a couple of small plates in the fridge.
Fish the bag of seeds from the mixture and squeeze it to extract as much pectin as possible, letting it drip through your fingers into the cooking pot. Put the bag back into the pot. Stir in the sugar, salt and reserved orange juice and bring to the boil over a medium-high flame, stirring often. Boil the mixture for 45 minutes, stirring frequently, then remove the bag of seeds and put it in a bowl to cool. Continue to cook the marmalade. When the bag of seeds is cool enough to handle, squeeze it to extract as much pectin as possible, letting it drip into the marmalade. Discard the bag of seeds. Cook the marmalade, lowering the heat as it thickens to prevent scorching. Watch it carefully and cook, stirring often, until the setting point has been reached - spoon some of the mixture onto a chilled plate and leave for about 30 seconds. Draw your fingertip through the mixture on the plate and it should remain as a line, without running together. When the marmalade is ready, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and liqueur.
Ladle the marmalade into the sterilised jars and wipe the rims clean with a damp paper towel. Cover the jars with the sterilised lids and seal tightly. Put a dishtowel in the bottom of a large, tall pot and fill three- quarters of the way with water. Bring to the boil then put the filled jars upright in one layer in the pot. If necessary, add more water so the jars are submerged by at least 1cm. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, making sure the jars remain covered with water. Remove the jars from the water and leave them overnight. If you want to skip this sealing step, store the marmalade in the fridge.
Burnt sugar and spiced pear preserve
I use Bartlett pears but Bosc and Anjou varieties can be substituted. Don't use Xinjiang or nashi pears because their texture is wrong.
1.4kg pears
800 grams sugar
2 vanilla beans
2 star anise, broken into pieces
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
30ml fresh lemon juice
Put the sugar in a large pot and stir in about 100ml of water. Place the pot over a low flame and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cover the pot with the lid and simmer for several minutes, then uncover the pot and cook without stirring until the sugar is a deep amber caramel. Turn off the heat and very carefully stir in 300ml of water a little at a time - the mixture will bubble and splash, and send up clouds of burning-hot steam; wrap your working hand in a dish towel and avert your face from the steam.
Cut off and discard the stem from the pears, then chop the rest of the fruit - including skin and seeds - into chunks and put them in the pot with the caramel. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and put them and the scraped-out pods into the pot. Add the star anise, cinnamon sticks and salt. Bring to the simmer and cook until the fruit is very soft. Fish out the vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks and put them aside for later. Ladle the pear into a fine-meshed food mill set over a bowl. Puree the pear, discarding the star anise and pear seeds and skin left in the food mill. Put the pear puree, vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks back into the pot and cook to the setting point, then stir in the lemon juice. Ladle the preserves into the sterilised jars, cover with the sterilised lids and process as in the first recipe.
Guava and raspberry jam
Raspberries are the only frozen fruit I use for preserves; they're much cheaper than the fresh ones and the quality is good.
1.5kg guavas
1 bag (350 grams) frozen raspberries, thawed
950 grams sugar
45ml fresh lemon juice
Cut off and discard the blossom and stem ends of each guava. Chop the fruit into chunks, put them in a large pot and add a litre of water. Bring to a simmer over a high flame and cook until the fruit is very soft. Add the raspberries and cook for another minute. Puree the fruit through a food mill, discarding the skin and seeds. Put the puree back into the pot and stir in the sugar. Cook until the setting point has been reached then stir in the lemon juice. Ladle into sterilised jars, cover with sterilised lids and process as in the first recipe.
Styling: Yvonne Lai
 


How to use lime leaves in a Thai fried chicken dish your friends will love

How to use juniper berries in marinades for strong meats and to add flavour to sauerkraut

How to use poppy seeds to make delicious onion bread rolls called platzels

Tamarind is ugly but delicious. How to use the sour, sweet fruit to make Thai crunchy fish

Susan Jung's recipes

Jam recipes: Seville orange marmalade, spiced pear preserve, and guava and raspberry jam

Seville orange marmalade. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Seasonal fruits can be kept on hand year round as home-made preserves. Susan Jung shows off three from her collection


Seasonal fruits can be kept on hand year round as home-made preserves. Susan Jung shows off three from her collection


Jam recipes: Seville orange marmalade, spiced pear preserve, and guava and raspberry jam

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Seasonal fruits can be kept on hand year round as home-made preserves. Susan Jung shows off three from her collection

Seasonal fruits can be kept on hand year round as home-made preserves. Susan Jung shows off three from her collection