Jackfruit Jam

I was very excited to open my door and find a large jackfruit presented by a very kind neighbor. Of course, I looked up my cookbook collection (on eatyourbooks.com) for recipes.

I love jackfruit, (but cannot stomach its cousin the durian), the ripe pods are sweet and strongly flavored and aromatic. I was looking for something different this time around and this Filipino jam recipe intrigued me. It is the first step in making a creamy deicious jackfruit ice cream, coming soon on this site.

The jam is sweet, sticky and packed with flavor. The jackfruit begins to melt into the syrup and the sugars caramelize to give a rich jam. You can use this on toast, but is will also be very nice on some soft light cheeses like Brie, Camembert or soft goat cheese, on top of granola or muesli, or even as a chutney for grilled red meats.

This cookbook has been one that has been hiding on my shelf and I am glad I finally took it out and made something from it. It is a wonderful cookbook on authentic Filipino cuisine, full of recipes and wonderful photographs. These islands have a very unique cuisine, one that I have had at restaurants and at friend's houses. Here is a start to me delving deeper into this cuisine.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs jackfruit pods, without seeds or membranes, cut into strips or diced

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

Lime wedges

Add the jackfruit, sugar and water to a non-stick pot and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often. Cook till the water has reduced by half and the jam has a thick marmalade like consistency, about 20-30 minutes. As a test, drop a teaspoon of the liquids onto a plate, when cool, run your finger through the drop, the liquids should start to come together again but not meet. Please note, patience is a virtue, if you cook this on a high flame, the sugars will burn and the fruit will not cook evenly.

You can cook this jam so that you have some chunks left, like a marmalade, or if you cook it more, the chunks will dissolve into a sticky jam. The fruit is quite fibrous, so you will have these in the jam, however, they do not detract from the palate feel of this delicious jam.

As a note, if you are making tis jam for the ice cream, please cook itt down so thet the jackfruit pieces ae dissolved completely. You need a smooth texture for the ice cream.

Cool and add a few drops of lime juice if desired. The lime juice helps brighten the jam and adds a nuance, otherwise I find the jam very sweet and plain. Store in air-tight containers in the fridge for as long as 2 weeks, it wont last that long!