Gooseberry jam
This was my first gooseberry jam, and I was curious about the result. Gooseberries release plenty of juice and burst as they heat, so I decided to make a smooth jam. I worried that the blender would struggle with the skins, but it worked well. The jam is smooth, moderately sweet and pleasantly tart.
The most labor-intensive process: the tails of each berry need to be cut off on both sides.
Sprinkle the berries with sugar, add water and put on the stove. Fire is above average. Stir so that the sugar dissolves faster and does not burn.
As soon as the berries boil, reduce the heat a little. Cook at a gentle boil for about 30-40 minutes.
Check readiness with a drop. If it doesn’t drip off the side of the saucer, it’s ready. Looks similar to the photo. You can cook it longer, but then the final product will be thicker.
Remove the jam from the stove and beat with an immersion blender until smooth. You need to work very carefully! The jam is hot, and if it accidentally splashes, a burn is guaranteed.
I tasted the jam at this point and found it a little tart, so I added about 150 grams more sugar.
Return to the stove, bring back to a full boil, then fill the jars while hot and seal immediately. There is no need to wrap them in a blanket.
This portion yielded 3 half-liter jars.
After cooling it turned out to be a thick jam.