Gbeengagb Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Divide the greengages, remove the stones, and place them in a preserving pan.
Make the jam
Bring the fruit to a boil, then add the sugar, stirring over gentle heat until melted.
Remove any scum that forms, and boil rapidly for 5 minutes just before the jam is done.
Check if the jam is done by pouring a little on a plate; if the syrup thickens and appears firm, it is ready.
Add the blanched kernels to the jam, give it one boil, and pour the preserve into pots.
Cover and store
Once cool, cover with oiled paper and tissue paper brushed with egg white.
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
- Greengages
- Provide the fruit, whose natural pectin and acid help the jam set.
- Lump sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it dissolves and concentrates, helps it thicken and keep.
- Blanched kernels
- Add a nutty aroma and a slight crunch to the finished jam.
The step that matters
Judging when the jam is done. Jam sets as sugar concentrates the fruit syrup and pectin forms a gel as it cools. Stopping too early leaves runny jam that may spoil; boiling too long can make it stiff and dull in flavour. The plate test shows whether the syrup is ready to set.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.