It’s more important now than ever to not waste food. So this mixed fruit summer preserve with nuts is ticking all the boxes. No waste, great taste, really useful and super easy to make!
Mixed fruit summer preserve with nuts
The ending of summer sunshine months brings us a wealth of gorgeous fruits to make the most of. Hang on to the taste of summer right through the winter months with my simple summer preserve which uses all the goodness of the summer to make you smile all winter long.
What’s the difference between a preserve and jam?
Well, a jam is where the fruit is all mashed up and is all one consistency. A preserve is where the fruit (and often nuts as well) are still in pieces. There is the sweet fruity syrup that holds them together but the pieces are clearly defined. It’s chunkier, more colourful (if using mixed fruit as I am here) and really holds it’s flavour.
What’s in this mixed fruit preserve
This preserve contains a real mixture of fruits, in fact I really just emptied the fruit bowl and raided the fridge and larder to make this so it’s a great way to use things up.
I’ve used nectarines, pears, figs, passion fruit and apples for this plus sultanas and almonds. Throw in some brandy (gotta have some booze in there!), water and sugar and that’s it.
Spices
I’ve used a bit of spice in this preserve; star anise. I love the almost licorice aniseed flavour , just a hint of it adds a little twist to this jam. Of course you can leave this out or use cinnamon or vanilla instead.
Alternatives
Don’t just stick with what I’ve used here. Get creative, well as creative as your fruit bowl, fridge and larder allows. You can use almost any fruits here. Why not try some melon, strawberries, raspberries, peaches. Just go for it and make some jam!
How to make this mixed fruit preserve
I make this preserve by creating a sweet syrup with the fruits and water. Boiling this up and then removing the fruit pieces and popping them into sterilised jars.
Then I toast the nuts and add them to the syrup that is still in the pan from boiling up the fruit. Add the rest of the sugar and then the brandy and pour this nutty super sweet tasty syrup over the fruit already packed into the prepared jars.
Now comes the patience part. Leave the preserve for 2 weeks to let it mature and allow the flavours to develop before using. I promise you it’s well worth the wait.
How much jam mixed fruit preserve does this make?
I got 4 x 250ml jars of mixed fruit preserve from this recipe.
How long will this preserve last?
Like all my jams this one lasts unopened in the cupboard for up to a year. Once opened I store my jams and preserves in the fridge and use them up within a month.
How can you serve this preserve
Have this lovely mixed fruit summer preserve on your breakfast toast in the morning. It’s fabulous stirred into Greek yogurt for a tasty treat at breakfast. Or have a spoonful on your ice-cream as a sweet treat. Better still, this mixed fruit summer preserve with nuts goes great on a cheeseboard.
Looking for more super tasty jams and preserves? Then check out these recipes before you go;
Strawberry jam with sage and red wine
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Mixed fruit summer preserve with nuts
Ingredients
- 1 kilo nectarines peeled and chopped
- 1 litre water
- 800 g sugar
- 1 star anise
- 2 pears peeled and cored
- 2 apples peeled and cored
- ½ cup sultanas
- ½ cup toasted almonds
- 4 figs chopped
- 3 passion fruits
- 120 ml/1/2 cup brandy optional
Instructions
- Chop all the fruit
- Heat water plus half the sugar for 5 mins and add all fruit and spices
- Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 10 mins
- Remove fruit and discard the spices
- Toast almonds and put in a pan with 3 cups of the syrup and remaining sugar
- Boil to 219F/104C then cool slightly and add brandy
- Pack fruit into sterilised jars and pour over the nutty syrup and seal
- Leave for 2 weeks to mature before use.
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