Apricot Jalapeno Jam Recipes

APRICOT-NOYAUX JAM

Steps:

• The night before you plan to make the jam, pit and quarter the apricots, reserving pits. Trim away any soft or moldy bits. Place fruit in a large bowl or pot, toss with 2 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt to macerate, cover with parchment or lid and refrigerate. Place pits on a plate in a single layer, and freeze.
• The following day, bring fruit to room temperature before beginning jam-making process.
• Lay a kitchen towel across a cutting board. Place frozen apricot pits on the towel in a single layer. Cover with a second towel, and use a hammer to gently crack each pit open, then remove kernels - the noyaux - from each pit (it's fine if they break into pieces). Discard shells, and place kernels in a jelly bag or tie in a cheesecloth pouch, and secure with kitchen twine.
• Place fruit, liquid and pouch in 6-quart or larger Dutch oven, or similar wide pot, and set over high heat. Set a colander inside a large heatproof bowl, and set aside. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, bring the jam to a boil, then carefully pour everything into the colander to strain the fruit, and return the syrup and kernel pouch to the pot. Set fruit aside.
• Stirring constantly over high heat, bring syrup to 225 degrees, or until the rapid boil slows, the bubbles grow large and the syrup thickens, about 15 minutes.
• Return fruit to pot, and allow jam to return to 225 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. If the temperature gets stuck around 220, the syrup seems to stop thickening or the jam tastes too tart, add up to 1 cup of sugar to balance. Add a pinch of salt if needed to adjust seasoning. The hot jam should taste uncomfortably sweet - once it cools, its flavor will mellow. After about 20 minutes, once most of the fruit breaks down and the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and adjust sugar, salt and lemon juice as needed - the jam should be mouth-smackingly sweet and tart. Add 1/4 cup noyau extract, if using. Remove pot from heat.
• Remove pouch, and set aside. When it's cool enough to handle, squeeze as much liquid (and noyau essence) from the bag, and stir into jam. Divide jam into 4 half-pint jars, and heat-process to seal, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. Rinse off noyaux, and use to make extract.

HABANERO APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Pit and chop apricots; place in a Dutch oven. Stir in lemon juice. Place habaneros in a blender; add a small amount of apricot mixture. Cover and process until smooth. Return to the pan. , Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly., Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner. , For best results, let processed jam stand at room temperature for 2 weeks to set up.

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Mix apricots and lemon juice in a large pot; add sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook and stir until apricot mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary.
• Meanwhile, prepare jars, lids, and rings by cleaning and sterilizing in dishwasher or boiling water bath. Leave lids in simmering water until ready to seal jars.
• Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

HOMEMADE APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Stir apricots, lemon juice, and sugar together in a large pot over medium heat; add butter to reduce foaming. Bring apricot mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in pectin; return to a full boil until pectin is dissolved, 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack apricot jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 5 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, for at least 24 hours. Press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). It may take up to 2 weeks for jam to set. Store in a cool, dark area.

APRICOT CONSERVE

Steps:

• Put a couple of small plates in the freezer. Halve and stone the apricots, chop the flesh, then put in a large pan with the apple juice. Crack some of the kernels to extract the nut inside (this is easy to do if you crack with the flat side of a heavy saucepan), then add them to the pan - this is optional, but gives extra flavour. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins, until the apricots are softened.
• Stir in the sugar and lemon juice, then stir well over a moderate heat to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and boil for about 20 mins until jam has set. Test by spooning a little jam onto one of your cold plates. After a moment push the jam with your finger; if the jam wrinkles, it is ready. If not, return to the boil for a further 5 mins, then test again.
• Remove from the heat, skim off any scum, then stir in the butter to dissolve any remaining scum. Cool for 10 mins, stir again, then ladle into warm sterilised jars. Seal, label, then store in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

APRICOT JALAPENO JELLY

Steps:

• Place the jalapenos, pepper and vinegar in a blender (or food processor).
• Pulse until small chunks remain.
• Combine apricots, sugar and the pepper/vinegar mixture in a large saucepan.
• Bring to a boil; boil rapidly for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; skim off any foam that forms.
• Allow mixture to cool for 2 minutes.
• Mix in the pectin.
• Pour into sterilized jars, seal and cool.
• (At this point I turn the sealed jars over several times as they cool for about 10 minutes at a time to keep the fruit nicely distributed in the jar).
• * Note; It is an excellent idea to wear rubber gloves when working with hot peppers, they otherwise may make the hands burn. And don't rub your eyes!

APRICOT JALAPENO JAM

Steps:

• Combine peppers, apricots, jalapenos, vinegar and sugar in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pectin; return to a boil and boil rapidly for 1 minute (or longer to achieve desired consistency). Remove from heat.
• Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a for the Shorter Time Processing Procedure- 5 minutes, with additional minutes if altitude is over 300 ft.
• Makes 4-5 half pint jars!

HOMEMADE APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Halve and pit apricots. Wrap half the pits in cheesecloth, and crack the remaining ones open with a hammer. Pick out the kernels and set aside. Discard the cracked shells.
• Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place sugar in a large shallow pan and put in oven. Turn off oven and let sugar warm for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, combine the apricots and water in a large kettle over low heat. Cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the warmed sugar and wrapped pits and simmer for 30 minutes; remove pits and continue cooking until mixture reaches 221 degrees on a candy thermometer or falls in sheets from a spoon, about 15 minutes more.
• Remove from heat. Skim off and discard foam. Stir in reserved kernels, then ladle jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe excess jam from inside and outside rims, then seal.

GRILLED CHEESE, APRICOT AND JALAPENO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread 3 tablespoons butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Place bread, butter side down, in a large skillet or electric griddle over medium-low heat until golden brown, 2-3 minutes; remove. In a small bowl, combine cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gruyere. In another bowl, mix together remaining 3 tablespoons butter, mayonnaise, Manchego cheese and onion powder., To assemble sandwiches, spread apricot preserve on toasted side of 4 bread slices; add sliced jalapenos. Layer sliced Brie over jalapenos; sprinkle cheddar cheese mixture evenly over Brie. Top with remaining bread slices, toasted side facing inwards. Spread the butter-mayonnaise mixture on the outsides of each sandwich. Place in same skillet and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted, 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.