Easy as Jam

I recently caved and got a membership to Sam's Club. Not that I ever really need 40 rolls of paper towels or 180 granola bars - but I do buy some of my Darling Desserts ingredients there. Something else that I discovered is that Sam's carries the most plump, delicious (and organic!) raspberries I have ever encountered. I have seriously gone out of my way to drive the 15 minutes to Sam's Club just to buy these raspberries. They're that good.

So, this Sunday afternoon was partially devoted to trying my hand at raspberry jam. I had seen Ina Garten cook a simplified version on her show recently and it looked easy enough. For some reason, I had always been under the impression that making jam was a long, arduous process from beginning to end - the pectin, the perfect temperature, the sterilization. This was quite the opposite, much to my surprise.

I started by bringing two cups of sugar and the zest and juice of a large lemon to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat. Pectin is usually added to the mixture to ensure that the jam sets properly, but the pectin content of the lemon juice is high enough to forego it altogether. Once the sugar was completely dissolved, I added a pint and a half of the raspberries.

I kept the heat on low and let the mixture simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring it whenever I remembered. I was looking for a consistency that would stay separated when I wiped my finger down the middle of it on a cold plate. Here's what the consistency should be like:

The raspberries were completely dissolved and the consistency was just right. I strained the seeds out of the mixture - a step I did only because Eric likens eating jam with seeds to eating popcorn kernels.

After cooling about 5 minutes, the jam was ready to be jarred. I was able to get about 12 ounces out of this batch, which should last us a while. I had it on my english muffin this morning and I must say that it beats any expensive jam you could buy at the store. I think next time around, I might try strawberries.