orange and beet jam (less sugar than in conventional jam)

Hello, dear neighbors ! Adding cooked beet (yes, please do not fret!) to orange in this jam recipe achieves two purposes : it softens the bitterness of the orange peel in the final product, and also allows you to cut down on the amount of sugar needed to make jam.

I came up with this unusual idea a long while back, way before I decided to « double blog » in French and in English. So as I was making the jam a few weeks ago I decided it was time to take new photos and post it here. We were having crêpes and the only jars we had left were blackberry jam, my husband’s favorite, but not mine. I like jam with a little more character, if I may say, for instance pear with small pieces of ginger.

As always, a word of wisdom 😇: this jam, not being loaded with tons of sugar, will not keep quite as long as a store-bought version, even refrigerated. So if like me you do not eat jam every day storing it in small jars is a better option.

Ingredients (for 1 big jar or 2 to 3 smaller ones)

– 200 g cooked beet (keep in mind that beets take a long time to cook – so you can take a short cut and buy it already cooked, as I do)

– 300 g organic oranges

– 1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice (NOT from a bottle)

– 200 g pure cane sugar, untreated, without any added caramel

– 2 g agar powder

How to:

Ahead of time : boil jars and covers to sterilize and set to dry in a 60°C / 140°F oven

1. Cut beet in chunks.

2. Pare off a small piece of orange rind and set aside. This piece will be used to make as many thin strips as you wish to put in your jam. I use about 10g of the rind.

3. Pare the oranges over a bowl, making sure no white skin is left. Cut into chunks, removing seeds as you go.

beet and orange before blending (I do it directly in my very old and very sturdy stainless steel saucepan)

4. Blend beet and orange with an immersion blender. Pour into a saucepan. Add sugar and TBSP lemon juice.

5. Chop up reserved rind into thin strips and add to the saucepan. Set to cook on low after boiling point for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add agar powder and boil, still on low, for about 2 minutes.

7. Pour into sterilized jars, put covers on tightly and tip over. Keep jars upside down until opening time.

We are (finally) coming to the end of winter, dear neighbors, which means now is the time to eat oranges before they lose their flavor ! There are many ways to enjoy them, for instance in a salad as in this recipe, shared by Kathryn who, like many of us, must be longing to spend more time outside tendering her beloved garden !

September 2019 update: Kathryn has also come up with a fantastic raspberry and beet jam recipe.  Absolutely delish!

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