Small-batch jam a perfect way to use up extra fruit

Living through a pandemic has had an impact on our cooking and eating habits. Having made virtually all of our meals at home over the past few months, and with more limited access to grocery stores, we've all become more conscious of food waste.

Historically, pickling and preserving — and making compotes and jams — was a means of preserving the harvest to keep it shelf-stable throughout the winter.

Today, it can be a useful way to reduce food waste. 

Fresh produce in particular can wind up in the compost bin if it starts to shrivel before it's eaten — add a garden-damaging hailstorm or two to the mix, and you may find yourself with fruit and vegetables that need to be salvaged. 

There's no need to dedicate half a day to such a project, or to buy flats of fruit or packaged pectin, or stress about processing jars. 

You can eyeball about half as much sugar as you have fruit (chopped rhubarb, stone fruits or whole berries), straight into a skillet — the broad surface area makes it cook down quickly. You don't have to stick to one variety — most fruits get along beautifully, which means you can use a handful of berries, a stalk of rhubarb, and a squishy peach or plum to make a small jar, that will keep you in homemade jam all week.

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Simply cook your fruit and sugar (add a splash of lemon juice too, if your fruit isn't very acidic), until it thickens to a jam-like consistency, and your spoon leaves a trail through the bottom of the pan as you stir. In general, when fruit and sugar transforms into jam, it looks like jam — the bubbles will go from juicy and wet to thicker and slower as the fruit breaks down and reduces. 

You can then spoon it directly into a jar to store in the fridge for up to a few weeks, or freeze for longer storage. And if you find yourself with surplus jam, it's delicious on a butter cookie or spooned over panna cotta. 

Butter and Jam Crumble Cookies

These were inspired by Dorie Greenspan's beautiful French Beurre + Sel Jammers — they're more streamlined (no need to chill, roll and cut the dough) and have a grainier, nuttier crumble topping. Use any kind of jam, compote or preserves you happen to have on the shelf (or in your fridge). 

Cookie dough:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. icing sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup jam or other preserves

Crumble:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup oats (optional)

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

1/4 cup coconut (optional)

2-3 Tbsp. butter

pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

To make the cookies, beat the butter and sugars for two to three minutes, until pale and light. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. Stir or beat in the flour and salt, blending until smooth. 

Press walnut-sized pieces of dough into the bottom of an ungreased muffin tin, making a slight indent in the middle. Spoon in a heaping teaspoon of jam. To make the crumble, pulse the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor until well blended and crumbly—this will grind up the oats and nuts, making a finer crumb, but if you don't have a food processor, you can blend them in a bowl with a fork. 

Sprinkle some crumb mixture around the edge of each cookie, leaving some jam uncovered to poke through. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the pan with a thin knife, and cool on a wire rack. Makes one dozen cookies. 

Jammy Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is a simple gelled cream dessert—it can be made with any kind of cream, and is often combined with buttermilk or plain yogurt for a bit of tang. Sweeten it with sugar (white or brown) or honey, and if you like, infuse the cream with citrus zest, lavender, ginger, herbs or even loose tea before you set it with a packet of unflavoured gelatin. It's a delicious vehicle for any kind of jam or compote. 

2 1/2 cups cream (any kind—whipping cream, half and half), or use half buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 package unflavoured gelatin

1/3-1/2 cup sugar or honey (or to taste)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

jam or preserves, for serving

Pour about 1/2 cup cream into a medium saucepan and sprinkle the package of gelatine overtop. Let stand for about 5 minutes, to soften.

Add the remaining cream and the sugar and bring to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the sugar and gelatin. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into small dishes or jars and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or until set. Serve topped with a big spoonful of jam. (Alternatively, if your jam is fairly thick, you can spoon it into the bottom of your bowls or jars, pour the cream overtop and refrigerate until set, for a kind of fruit-on-the-bottom panna cotta. Serves 6-8. 

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