Gooseberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the stems and tails from the gooseberries.
In a preserving pan, combine the sugar and cold water. Let it sit until the sugar dissolves.
Cook the jam
Add the gooseberries to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Boil slowly for about 40 minutes, or until the syrup thickens when tested on a cold plate.
Jar and store
Pour the jam into jars and cover immediately with paper brushed with egg white.
Store in a cool, dry place.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Green gooseberries
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the jam its body and flavor.
- Preserving sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with boiling, thickens the syrup and helps preserve it.
The step that matters
Boil slowly until the syrup thickens. Gooseberries are high in natural pectin, but the jam sets only when enough sugar and water have boiled off to concentrate the syrup. Undercooking leaves it runny; overcooking can make it stiff and dull. Testing on a cold plate shows when it is ready.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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