While I am over here in France enjoying sunshine, rose wine, catching up with friends and sampling the local cuisine, I thought I’d share one of my all time favourite preserve recipes and something that I always think of as quintessentially French, my apricot and lavender jam.

Apricots to me are summer sunshine, the fresh fruit has a plumpness that promises abundant juice and a sweetness that rarely fails to lift the heart and make me smile. Their colour brings to mind the heat of summer, a shimmer in the air, something familiar and yet longed for.

Apricot jam is one of the most popular preserves in France and the Bon Mamon preserve company ships this sticky golden delight worldwide in its distinctive gingham printed jars.

This has always been my jam of choice to herald the new day on toast or croissants and when I realised how much of the stuff I went through I decided I should start making my own. That was a good few years ago and over the years I have adapted my recipe a bit here and there with my favourite addition being dried lavender flowers to give that extra special perfumed lift to something that is already floating joyously in the higher echilons of the preserve world.

Very often it is the simplest things in life that bring us the most pleasure and this apricot and lavender jam is a case in point. With only four ingredients and very little effort this is one preserve that will make any reluctant kitchen crafter sit up and take notice and reach for their apron.

For Apricot and Lavender Jam you will need;

1 kilo/2 lb 4 oz fresh ripe apricots

4 sprigs of dried lavender

600g/1 lb 6 oz preserving sugar

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Here is how to make your Apricot and Lavender Jam;

Chop and stone the fruit, but don’t discard the stones as they are full of flavour.

Place the stones on a chopping board and with the flat side of a heavy knife really press down on them to break open the shells. Inside you will find the kernel of the fruit which holds great flavour. Tie up these kernals in a little piece of muslin so they don’t get to roam free within the jam and cause a dental hazard at a later date and then toss the little muslin packet into your jam pan with the rest of the ingredients when you start your cooking process.

I like to let my apricots soak up the sugar and lavender before I cook them, this is very much the French way of preserving and it allows the sugar to draw out all the juice and flavour from the fruit. If you have time let the fruit, lavender and sugar sit in a bowl or pan overnight just covered with a clean tea towel. Make sure you have just used the tiny buds of the lavender and not the whole stalks. Do not be tempted to add more and more lavender as this delicate little flower packs a bit of a punch in the flavour department and a little goes a long way. Overdo it and you could end up with something too heavily fragranced and flavoured that smells more suitable for the bathroom than the kitchen table!

Next day add the lemon zest and juice and slowly heat your fruit mixture along with the little muslin bag of kernals.

The sugar will dissolve quite quickly as it has been soaking in the fruit juices overnight.

Keep the jam on a moderate heat until the apricots are tender and then raise the temperature to a hard boil until you have reached the setting point. Use a thermometer or a chilled saucer to check the set. See my Jam making page for full information on this.

Remove pan from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes to settle before carefully spooning into sterilised jars.

You should get 4 medium sized jars from this recipe.

For me this jam really is the taste of France, once tasted, never forgotten.

Karon x

Print Recipe

Apricot And Lavender Jam

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: preserves

Author: Karon Grieve

Ingredients

• 1 kilo/2 lb 4oz fresh apricots
• 4 sprigs dried lavender
• 600 g/1lb 6oz preserving sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

• Chop and stone the fruit, but don’t discard the stones as they are full of flavour.
• Place the stones on a chopping board and with the flat side of a heavy knife really press down on them to break open the shells. Inside you will find the kernel of the fruit which holds great flavour. Tie up these kernals in a little piece of muslin so they don’t get to roam free within the jam and cause a dental hazard at a later date and then toss the little muslin packet into your jam pan with the rest of the ingredients when you start your cooking process.
• I like to let my apricots soak up the sugar and lavender before I cook them, this is very much the French way of preserving and it allows the sugar to draw out all the juice and flavour from the fruit. If you have time let the fruit, lavender and sugar sit in a bowl or pan overnight just covered with a clean tea towel. Make sure you have just used the tiny buds of the lavender and not the whole stalks. Do not be tempted to add more and more lavender as this delicate little flower packs a bit of a punch in the flavour department and a little goes a long way. Overdo it and you could end up with something too heavily fragranced and flavoured that smells more suitable for the bathroom than the kitchen table!
• Next day add the lemon zest and juice and slowly heat your fruit mixture along with the little muslin bag of kernals.
• The sugar will dissolve quite quickly as it has been soaking in the fruit juices overnight.
• Keep the jam on a moderate heat until the apricots are tender and then raise the temperature to a hard boil until you have reached the setting point. Use a thermometer or a chilled saucer to check the set. See my Jam making page for full information on this.
• Remove pan from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes to settle before carefully spooning into sterilised jars.
• You should get 4 medium sized jars from this recipe.

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