I saw a photo of Clementine Jam the other day and just had to make it — and tis the season as all sorts of mandarins and other citrus fruit are in season — check out the color! It is simply fantastic and likely the brightest colored jam that I have ever seen. And it tastes good too. It is a little bitter, but that can often be the case with citrus jams and preserves, but it will be spectacular on toast. Oooooh, or on pancakes. Yummy and seasonal.
Ingredients
6 pounds Satsuma clementines
2 cup sugar
juice of 3 lemons
3 teaspoons limoncello
Makes about 5 one cup jars. Recipe can be halved.
Directions
Peel the clementines and cut each one in half through the middle to check for seeds. Put the fruit, in batches if necessary, in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
Pour the puree into a heavy pot and add the sugar and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat a bit and boil for about 30-40 minutes, stirring fairly often. Do not cover the pot. The liquid will foam up at first, but will eventually get absorbed. The mixture will start to thicken and get a little deeper and glossier when it is ready. When it is done, ladle it into clean jars and let cool on the counter. When it reaches room temperature, cover and drizzle each jar with limoncello and then refrigerate.
Notes: Your jam will only be as good as your fruit. We’ve all had those clementines that don’t measure up, so skip those and try to find fruit with great juicy flavor. It shouldn’t be too hard, as tangerines are in season right now. I don’t use pectin, but if you want a super firm jam, you can use some Low Sugar Pectin. The longer you cook the jam, the thicker it will be when it cools. I like to test by putting a small plate in the freezer and then dropping a bit on the cold plate. If the jam gels when it cools, it’s done.
