Description
Fans of tart flavors, gather ye ’round. Kiwis — which are in season from October to May in the U.S. — make a bright quick jam on their own, but the addition of sumac (a spice native to the northeastern U.S. and elsewhere) takes their already plentiful tartness to even more vivid new heights. The jam looks beautifully speckly peeking out from the portholes of Linzer cookies, tastes citrusy and a tad earthy in jammy crumble bars or spread atop toast.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 kiwis, peeled and mashed with a fork or puréed
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- Tiny pinch salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp sumac
Instructions
- Add kiwi, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a strong simmer, about 5 minutes.
- Place a small plate in the freezer (you’ll use it in a bit). Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring here and there, until the fruit breaks down and thickens. (We cook at a relatively low heat because kiwi has splattery tendencies.) As the jam cooks, you’ll notice smaller, more rapid bubbles eventually turn into slower, larger bubbles. Once that happens, stir more often to prevent the fruit from scorching on the bottom of the pan.
- Get the plate out of the freezer and test your jam to see if it’s done: Dab a spoonful onto the plate. Put the plate in the fridge for 2 minutes. Then check it by looking at the jam. If the spoonful is holding its shape and not sinking or melting down onto the plate, you’re good to go. Otherwise, continue cooking for a few more minutes and then try again.
- Once jam is sufficiently thickened, add the lemon juice and sumac, and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until re-thickened.
- Allow jam to cool completely, then transfer to a container to store in the fridge and eat within 2 weeks.