Since it’s summer here and fruits are at their peak deliciousness, it’s a good moment to make jam and keep their amazing flavour for the months to come. This mango and pineapple jam takes advantage of ripe fruits and it’s very tasty. Ideal on bread, sandwiches and even on cheeses for an appetizer.
Mango and Pineapple Jam
Jams are a million-year-old way to preserve food and are especially delicious when we use them to preserve food that’s in season, when they’re the tastiest. Since it’s summer here, fruits like mango and pineapple are sweeter and tastier than normal. That’s why it’s a good moment to make this jam since you can make plenty and lasts up to 6 months refrigerated. I love it with homemade bread toasts with butter.
Cooking Sugar
When we make jams like this mango and pineapple jam, we need to cook them until the sugar is properly concentrated. This thickens the jam but also it makes it so that it actually preserves the fruit. With a high concentration of sugar, bacteria cannot grow and thus it lasts for a long time. The temperature you have to cook the sugar to is 104-105°C / 219-221°F. This is called the thread stage in sugar cooking. Another way to test if you reached this stage is to lift a bit of the liquid with a spoon and then let it drop slowly back into the jam. It should drop in a straight line without interruption.
Given that these fruits don’t really disintegrate when you cook them, I add an extra step at the end before refrigerating. I blend half of the mango and pineapple jam so that the liquid is not just sugar. You can do this while it’s still hot, and I actually go in straight into the pot with an immersion blender. You can also remove half of it and transfer it to a traditional blender. If you think your blender isn’t up for the job at a high temperature, you can let it cool down slightly before. Don’t let it cool completely though or it will be too thick to blend.
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes
- 1 pineapple
- Same weight as the chopped fruit in sugar
- ½ lemon juice
Instructions
- Peel and cut the fruit in small cubes.
- In a large pot/saucepan, place the fruit and the sugar (you need to weigh the same weight of the fruit in sugar).
- Cook over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, ideally until the temperature reaches 104-105°C / 219-221°F. At this temperature, you'll reach the thread stage in sugar. If you don't own a sugar thermometer, you can lift up a bit of the liquid in the jam and let it drop slowly back into the jam. It should form a continuous thread as it falls.
- Remove the jam from the heat and blend half of it while it's still hot. You can use a regular blender or use an immersion blender directly into the pan.
- Add the lemon juice and mix.
- Keep the jam refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 6 months.
- Once cold, see if you like the texture, especially if you didn't use a sugar thermometer before. If it's too dense you can add a bit of water until you like the texture.
