Apricot and Amaretto Jam

This delicious jam gets as close as possible to bottling sunshine. Its delightful, sunny colour and natural sweetness remind me of hot, sunny mornings in the South of France before the heat of the day becomes intense.Use a heavy based copper pan if possible, it will help with dispersing the heat evenly during cooking. This jam is lower in sugar and will therefore need to be kept in the fridge once you have started enjoying it.

Ingredients

5lb fresh apricots – washed and halved (reserve the kernels)600ml hot waterJuice of 2 lemons4.5lb granulated sugar200ml Amaretto

Method

1 Crack a few of the stones which have come from the fruit and pick out the kernels; discard the rest. Place the kernels in a basin, cover with boiling water and leave for 1 minute, then drain them and rub off their skins.

2 Put the kernels in the pan with the apricot halves. Pour in the water and lemon juice and bring all the ingredients to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the fruit is tender and the contents of the pan have reduced.

3 Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves, then bring the jam quickly to a rolling boil. Boil hard until setting point is reached. (To test for a set, place a little of the mixture on a clean, cold plate and leave for a couple of minutes. If when you nudge it gently with your finger it wrinkles, it is at setting point. If you have a sugar thermometer it should read 220F.)

4 Once setting point is reached, pour in the Amaretto and bring back to boiling point again.

5 Bottle immediately into warm, sterilised jars and lid. Clearly label and enjoy when completely cold.