Lower Sugar Apricot Jam

We like having home made jam on our toast for breakfast.  But I have always felt uneasy at how much sugar goes into it.  So I made a batch of lower sugar apricot jam – and was pleased to find that it was just as good!

I had 500g of apricots (weight after removing their stones).

I added to the chopped apricots 250g of sugar (half the quantity the normal recipes would suggest), the juice of 1 lemon (to help with jam setting), a tablespoon of brandy (obviously optional) and a few drops of vanilla extract.

I boiled it until it reached the setting stage.  You test this by putting a small quantity onto a very cold plate and then running your finger through it to see if the jam on each side stays separate or runs together.  When it stays separate the jam is ready.

Just before turning off the hob I added 1 teaspoon of stevia powder (a natural herbal sweetener which is over 10 times sweeter than sugar).

I put the jam into clean, hot jars and put a little waxed paper disc on top of each one before putting the lid on.  I keep this jam in the fridge since the jars were not fully sterilised.

The jam didn't taste at all of the brandy or the vanilla but to my mind they did accentuate the apricotiness of the end product.

Vanilla Sugar (The Fast Way)

A rice pudding ingredient called for 'a sachet of vanilla sugar'.  Not something available at the supermarket I usually go to.  And when I checked how to make it almost all the recipes needed at least a week!  And I didn't have a week.

So I made some fast Vanilla Sugar – and it worked!  I got a vanilla bean and split it in half and scraped the seeds out and then chopped the outside into chunks.  I got 1/3 cup or so of sugar and then just put the seeds and other bits of the vanilla bean into it together in a small jar and shook it.  Half an hour later the sugar did taste of vanilla – all you had to do was sieve out the big pieces of vanilla before using the sugar.  And of course the remaining vanilla sugar that I didn't use for the recipe will just keep right on improving.

Vanilla Sugar – Fast

A rice pudding ingredient called for 'a sachet of vanilla sugar'.  Not something available at the supermarket I usually go to.  And when I checked how to make it almost all the recipes needed at least a week!  And I didn't have a week.

So I made some fast Vanilla Sugar – and it worked!  I got a vanilla bean and split it in half and scraped the seeds out and then chopped the outside into chunks.  I got 1/3 cup or so of sugar and then just put the seeds and other bits of the vanilla bean into it together in a small jar and shook it.  Half an hour later the sugar did taste of vanilla – all you had to do was sieve out the big pieces of vanilla before using the sugar.  And of course the remaining vanilla sugar that I didn't use for the recipe will just keep right on improving.

Apologies for the useless picture!