Kumquat Jam

All right, I knew it. The other day I fell again into jams' vicious circle, even if I had promised my cupboard that I'd use at least all top shelf's jars before sticking in new ones. It's just that walking around Chinatown I found the last remains of kumquats and I suddenly thought of this jam that I had tried about two years ago.(And I also laid my eyes on a huge mountain of lychees, and I have a feeling that they will be next to fall into my pan...).

The following is yet one more recipe I’ve tried taking inspiration from Christine Ferbers’ book, Mes Confitures. For those of you who still don’t know it, she’s like the Queen of Jams, a famous French pastry chef who’s been living in a small Alsatian village for many years, running a little patisserie/jam store that has become a sort of sanctuary for many aficionados. Here you can read the description of her pilgrimage to Niedermorschwihr by Clotilde of Chocolate&Zucchini; and here the great review by Alex of Cuoche dell’Altro Mondo. As some would say, there are those who dream of going to Cannes, and those who dream of crossing Au Relais des Trois Epis’ threshold.

As usual, I took inspiration from Ferber’s combination of flavors, which is simply ingenious, like all her recipes. But I followed my own technique for the process, using a lot less sugar compared to the amount suggested in the book.
It may be a winter kind of jam, but by now I guess everyone knows that "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco". And if it's Mark Twain who says so...


Kumquat Jam
with Apple and Pink Grapefruit

kumquat, net weight after cleaning 1,200 gr. circa
apple, net weight about 1 kg
pink grapefruit 4
sugar 1 kg.
lemons 2

Quarter kumquats and discard the seeds. Peel apples and cut them in pieces. Peel grapefruits, discard the white membrane, cut into slices about 1/4" thick and then cut in pieces, discarding any seed.
Mix fruit with sugar and lemon juice. Pour everything in a large bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. The next day cook the jam until it reaches the desired texture, skimming when needed. Pour it into properly sterilized glass jars, cover with lids and boil them for 20 minutes. Let jars cool down in the same water to create vacuum.