Maya and the waterlilies

In preparation for (attempting) to take pictures in Nepal, I have been playing around with the camera and trying out my new polarising filter. 

Lilly Pilly Jam - Forage and Preserve

This is the jam that I get the most comments and requests about from my friends and family, and is the only jam that my Dad has ever requested a jar of. So I feel that this comes with pretty good credentials.

If you are living in Australia anywhere north of about Coffs Harbour, chances are that you are pretty familiar with the small leaf lilly pilly, or syzygium luehmannii to use its Latin name.

Here is Brisbane, the small leaf lilly pilly comes into fruit towards the end of November, with fruit continuing through until the end of January. Favored by local councils as a drought resistant tree well suited to the variable Queensland climate, the lilly pilly crops up in parks throughout the city.


This makes it ideal for a cheap jam ingredient, with a complex citrus and clove flavour that is unlike any other berry I have jammed. Also, as with cranberries and gooseberries, the lilly pilly is incredibly tart. I think this more than anything is what makes it a great jamming berry, as the sharp notes of the lilly pilly help to counteract the high levels of sugar necessary for preserving.

It is important to note that the small leaf lilly pilly is different from other lilly pillies, and if you use a different variety you will get a different flavored jam. This is significant for anyone in the southern states where the larger berried lilly pillies are more common. While still fantastic to jam, these tend to give a more citrus flavoured preserve, without the complex clove and nutmeg notes of the small leaf variety.

Ingredients
Lilly pillies - 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds)
Sugar - 800 grams (28 ounces)
2 lemons
Pectin (industrial or lemon pips if looking for organic option)
Water

Note: the ingredients can be scaled up or down, depending on how many lilly pillies are harvested.

Tools
1 x 10L pot
1 x sugar thermometer
1 x juicer
1 x wooden spoon
1 x ladle
1 x jar funnel
1  x 40cm x 40cm sheet of muslin
1 x sieve (or stove top steamer)
1 x large bowl
6-8 x 250ml glass jars and lids
1 x oven tray
1 x oven mitt or tea towel

Process
1. Tip lilly pillies into sink of water and give them a really good rinse.

2. Remove as many stalks, leaves (and potentially bugs) as possible. But don't freak out if you can't be bothered removing all the stalks, as these are easy to strain out afterwards. But try to get rid of all the leaves, as they can change the flavour of the jam.

3. Remove the lilly pillies from the water and place in a large 10L pot. Add the juice of the 2 lemons and add water until just covering the lilly pillies. Bring water to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Keep simmering until the lilly pilly berries have lost their colour and the water has turned a nice shade of magenta (this should take about 30 mins - 45mins). I usually top up with a bit of water throughout the process, but be careful not to dilute the mixture too much.

4. Away from the heat place the sieve over a large bowl, and arrange the muslin cloth over the sieve. I actually like to use my two piece Scanpan steamer for this, as I feel it is less likely to topple over. Slowly pour the lilly pilly infusion over the sieve, and leave to drip through into the bowl. It is important that you do not stir or push the mixture through the muslin cloth, as this will result in a cloudy jam. I often leave this to percolate overnight, so I get every last drop possible.

5. Once you have collected as much liquid from the lilly pilly infusion as possible, measure out the amount of liquid you have. For every 1 litre of liquid you will need 800g of sugar.

Note: usually in jam making it is equal parts sugar to liquid; however, I enjoy a slightly tart jam and I find too much sugar can overwhelm the delicate flavours of the lilly pilly. In the past I have bumped the ratio back to 600g to 1 litre, however I have had to up the pectin levels in order to ensure I get a firm set.

6. Now that you have calculated how much sugar you need, add the sugar and lilly pilly infusion back into the large pot you used to boil up the lilly pillies. Clip the sugar themometer to the side of the pot making sure that the tip is in the liquid to take an accurate reading of the temperature. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then add the pectin according to the manufacturer ratios.

Note: if you are making organic jam, or prefer not to use industrial pectin, you can use lemon (or other citrus) seeds for pectin. Wrap the seeds of three lemons (for every 1 litre of liquid) up in a scrap of muslin and tie off with cooking twine (e.g. don't use blue thread like Bridget Jones). Once the seeds are secured bash them with a rolling pin as this will help to release the pectin from the seeds. Add the seeds wrapped in muslin into the lilly pilly mixture.

7. On the oven tray arrange the jars. Place in the oven, and set to 100ºC.

8. Back to the lilly pilly mixture, once you have added the pectin, bring the mixture to 114ºC (237ºF) which is the soft ball stage of sugar. This will ensure that your jam will set once cooled.

Note: If you don't have a sugar thermometer, you can test whether the jam has reached the right temperature by pouring a spoonful onto an ice cold saucer. Give the mixture a couple of seconds, and then run your finger through the middle of the blob. If it stays separated, and doesn't run back together into one blob then you have reached the soft ball stage.

9. Take the jars out of the oven and place somewhere stable. Put the ladle, jar funnel, towel and jar lids close by, so that they are within easy reach. Now carry the pot over to the jars, and places on something heatproof.

10. Fit the jar funnel over the first jar, and ladle the mixture into the jar, making sure not to fill to the very top of the jar. Secure the lid on top (using the towel to prevent burning yourself) and then once the lid is on tightly, turn the jar upside down and return to the oven tray. Repeat the process until you have used up all the jam.

11. Leave the jars to cool slightly and then turn the jars right side up. If you leave to cool entirely the jam will set to the top of the lid, making for a very funny looking jar of jam. I speak from experience, with quite a few jars of levitating jam in my pantry.

Serving suggestions
The tart lilly pilly jam works really well on toast, or with scones and cream. However it is also a wonderful cheese platter addition and is incredible paired with the stronger blues or cheddar. Enjoy!

x Nic

Ever the procrastinator

Sooooooo after taking the plunge and writing my first post, I didn't do another post for the remainder of 2015.

My bad!

However, with the greatest of intentions and to ring in the New Year, here is my second blog post ever.

As foreshadowed, I have already re-read the last blog post and cringed my way through it. But at least all that introductory gumph is over and done with.

So on to more interesting things. The plans I alluded to in the last post have eventuated and it is all finally official that I am moving to London in March this year!

*COMMENCE LAME DANCING AND BAD SINGING OF LONDON CALLING*

First on my list of Things I need to do before I leave, is apply for a new passport. The scary thing is, it is officially 9 years since I applied for a new one when I was about to leave for Denmark. I lodged the forms late last week and I'm pretty certain that I have an eighties style quiff in my photo. Cyndi Lauper eat your heart out.

In the intervening six months since I last posted a post, I have also decided that since this is the first time in my adult life where I won't have a time constraint, I am going to take my time getting to London. So I bit the bullet and booked a trip to Nepal with a ten day altitude hike. Eeeek!!!!!

However, to complicate matters my flight getting to Nepal has been cancelled once and rescheduled once. The superstitious part of me wants to take this as a sign that I shouldn't do a altitude hike, but the rest of me is just more determined than ever to go to Nepal. Particularly given the hit to the tourist industry following the earthquake.

So at this stage I am busy researching the Annapurna Sanctuary walk, and every type of delicious food I aim to scoff in my face while in Nepal, plus listening to all the horror stories of friends and colleagues who have done altitude hikes. All I can say is gimme some of those Diamox baby!

As the countdown progresses to 70 days until I fly out, I am ramping up the training and the preparation for 'The Big Move'. I intend* to update this website with my preparations and hopefully give myself something to look back on and laugh/groan at.

So read on dear reader, and leave me a comment if you have any tips for Nepal or London... restaurant recommendations most highly welcome!

x Nic