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Makes
About 20 ounces of jam
Author Notes
This jam is a modification of this super simple (genius, even???) recipe: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/french-apple-jam, which uses cardamom instead of rosemary. I loved the idea of an apple jam that goes a different direction from "apple pie" flavors, and because this recipe is for smaller batches, the whole process took less than an hour. It was perfect for the leftover apples I had from apple picking earlier this fall, for those of you in the "I'VE ALREADY MADE LIKE FOUR APPLE CAKES AND THANKSGIVING IS BASICALLY TOMORROW, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE" state of mind. I've tried it on toast, warm croissants and even mixed into greek yogurt, and the results are A+.
Also, a note about pectin: I personally found when making this recipe that I didn't need any pectin at all since the natural pectin in the apples did the trick, but if you want the extra insurance 1-2 tablespoons should be more than enough. —sm0215
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Ingredients
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5-6
red apples
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1-2
lemons
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2 1/2 cups
sugar
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1 teaspoon
rosemary
Directions
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Fill a large bowl with cold/ice water and add the juice of 1/2-1 whole lemon (I found the juice of 1/2 a lemon was enough to keep the apples from browning, see below).
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Peel, core and quarter the apples and put them in the cold lemon water. Like the original recipe states, I found this kept the apples from browning before they were diced.
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Remove the apples from the lemon water one at a time and dice them. I diced mine very finely, which was more time consuming up front but eliminated the need for blending the jam further later on. Discard the lemon water.
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Add the apples to the bottom of a sauce pan with high sides (to prevent splattering), as well as the sugar, juice of the remaining lemon(s), and rosemary. (If you decided to use pectin, add it now.)
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Bring the apple mixture to a boil and stir often for 30-40 minutes until your desired consistency is reached. If necessary, the original recipe suggests using a hand blender about halfway through to break up any larger apple chunks - just be careful not to get burned!
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When the jam is ready, spoon into jars sterilized by your method of choice. I have found that just baking the jars at 225 degrees for about 20 minutes while the jam is cooking works just as well as a water bath method, especially since this is a smaller amount of jam that can be consumed more quickly. If you try baking the jars just be sure to put the jars in first before turning on the oven and let the jars warm up with the oven to prevent cracking.
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