It’s autumn time and pumpkins can be found in abundance. This quick and simple recipe is the perfect combination of fall and christmas flavours.
I love fall. The colours, the evident change in nature, the cozy weather. It’s a call to tea, blankets and preparation for winter. It’s also so very unaustralian. Maybe that’s why I love it… maybe it’s my Canadian roots coming out. Either way, I relish the fresh weather and warm jumpers. We’ve been blessed with a very warm October and beginning of November. As I write this the sun is shining outside and calling me out to enjoy it. We’ve been slowly settling into our new place and part of the has been starting to preserve some food for the months to come. It’s a personal goal of mine to process as much fresh produce as possible, so that we can continue to enjoy the abundance of this season as the coming one comes. Keeping it local and simple.
I’ve made pumpkin jam before (last time I was living in Germany in fact!) but this one is truly divine. Its fall, pumpkin pie and christmas all at once. Essentially my favourite things. You don’t need much in the way of kitchen equipment (trust me, we currently don’t have much) and of course you can preserve it according to your preferred method. I’ve recently been experimenting with water bath canning / oven canning and the jars you see here are Weckgläser – an all glass canning glass.
Anyways, without any further ado onto the recipe we go. If you decide to give it a go, I’d love to hear how you find it. Drop into the comments, share a picture and tag us on Instagram or send us an email.
Happy cooking! Bree x
Ingredients:
- 750g pumpkin of choice, peeled and roughly diced (I used a butternut)
- 550g apple, peeled and roughly diced
- 3 small oranges (c. 280g), washed, quartered and deseeded
- 500g sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthways and seeds scraped out
- 2-3 tsp of pumpkin spice
Method
Note: The indicated weights for the pumpkin and apples is the final weight after peeling and deseeding/coring.
Roughly chunk the apple and pumpkin and then blitz in a food processor until only pea sized pieces remain. Alternatively chop finely. Add to a large saucepan/pot.
Roughly blitz, or finely chop, the oranges as well (these will need much less time in your processor) and then add these to your saucepan along with the seeds of the vanilla bean and the pumpkin pie spice. You can also add the bean itself in this step if you wish, just remember to take it out again before blending.
Heat the pumpkin mixture on medium heat until it has partially softened and is starting to release liquid. Add the sugar and then cook for 5-10mins more. The time will depend on the size of your pumpkin chunks. These should be mostly soft before progressing to the next step.
At this point I need to confess that, yes, we bought our Thermomix with us as part of our luggage allowance. So now you get to use your ending – based on whether or not you have a food processor that heats or not!
Thermomix instructions:
When your pumpkin is mostly soft, return everything to your food processor (it should just fit) and cook at 90* for 8mins on speed 5. If you added the entire vanilla bean to your saucepan, don’t forget to remove it before this step.
Check that your pumpkin and apple are cooked through and then blitz at speed 10 to remove any remaining pumpkin or apple chunks (the time here will depend on how fine your pumpkin/apple were processed in the beginning). The orange skins will still give your jam a marmelade like effect.
Taste at this point and adjust sweetness or spices according to your preferences. However, keep in mind that the pumpkin pie spice will intensify in flavour as it further cooks during the preserving/cooling down process. I noticed a significant increase in fullness of flavour between this stage and when we tried the jam the next day.
Alternative method:
If you don’t have a thermomix, or a food processor that heats, never fear. It’s just a tool and your jam will still turn out perfectly without it! However, unless you don’t mind some pumpkin and apple chunks in your final product, you will need a stick blender or blender of some description at the end.
Keep your pumpkin mixture simmering away (reduce heat to low) until it is soft. The pumpkin should be falling apart and the apples should be able to be squished with a spoon.
Take your stick blender and blend until there are no pumpkin/apple chunks left or you have a jam that is your desired consistency. The orange skins will continue to give a marmalade like effect. If you added the entire vanilla bean to your saucepan, don’t forget to remove it before this step.
Taste at this point and adjust sweetness or spices according to your preferences. However, keep in mind that the pumpkin pie spice will intensify in flavour as it further cooks during the preserving/cooling down process. I noticed a significant increase in fullness of flavour between this stage and when we tried the jam the next day.
Both methods:
Divide your jams into your chosen (sterilised) vessels and then preserve in your preferred method. Alternatively gift to friends and family straight away for immediate consumption. I chose to hot pack can mine in a water bath canner for 15mins.