Apricot Jam
Adapted from David Tanis’ “The Heart of the Artichoke”

Ingredients:
2 cups apricots
2 cups (400 grams) sugar

Preparation:

1. Halve the apricots, but do not peels them. Remove the pits and place the fruit and the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot. Stir the fruit and the sugar together first to moisten the sugar. Place the pot on low heat, adding 1/2 cup water – stir. When the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. It will start to smell really good at this point. Skim off the apricot foam that will form, and set it aside. Tanis advises us to spread it on toast, or stir it into yogurt – and it’s precisely what I do.

2. Turn the heat down to low, so the jam is simmering, and stir frequently. Watch and smell the jam closely. After 30 minutes, the jam will thicken and coat the spoon. It will look, in Tanis’ terms, “right”. But it will still look too liquid to your eye. This is fine – the jam is very hot, and will thicken upon cooling.

3. Remove from heat, and let the jam cool overnight at room temperature. Should the jam look a little thin the next day, heat it on low heat, on the stove for another 15 minutes or so. If you find it a tad too thick, add a few teaspoons of water and let it summer until you get the right consistency. If the jam turns out perfectly, as has happened to me each time I have followed Tanis’ missive, ladle it into jars and refrigerate, or follow the canning instructions that come with your canning jars/kit.