Cranberry and Apple jam

I bought a pack of cranberry during thanksgiving, put it in the fridge and totally forgot about it until today. I ran out of jam at the same time so i thought why not. When i was a kid i always thought jam was such a complicated thing to make, bcos it always tasted soo good. But when i learned how to make jam i was amazed at how easy it was.

I like homemade jams because we avoid the preservatives used to increase shelf-life and we can control the sugar used. You can also substitute the sugar with sweet and low or natural sweetener for an healthier option.

                      

I always feel cranberries are too tart , so in this recipe i decided to use apple for some sweetness and texture and i am using both orange juice and lemon juice for the acid part. Once cooked, the color was so deliciously sexy and yummy....

Sugar has to be adjusted according to the tartness of the fruit.

Cranberry and Apple jam Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients

Fresh or frozen cranberry - 1.5 cups

Red Apple - 1 large, skin removed

Orange juice - 1 orange

Lemon juice - 1 tspn

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Sealed jar for preserving

Method

Add all the ingredients to a heavy bottomed pan.

Put the heat on medium bring it to boil and stir occasionally using a wooden spoon.

Let the apple cook and the cranberries pop, for about 10 mins.

Mash the fruits using the spoon.

Taste the jam to check for sugar at this stage, if it is too tart add some sugar according to your taste and stir so that the sugar melts.

I like the texture to be a little coarse, if you want it to be smooth you can use a hand blender and blend for a couple of mins.

Once all the water is absorbed the mixture appears to be gelatinous,switch off the heat.

In a dry container add the hot mixture and let it cool at room temperature without the lid.

Once cooled seal with the lid.

Preserve in the fridge once used.

Note:

For the entire cooking time, keep the heat in medium or the sugar will burn.