When you live in L.A., making it across town for brunch can be rough. Even when the draw is as strong as this incredible breakfast toast famously made by Jessica Koslow at SQIRL, the drive from the beach to the hills can be daunting.
That’s why we’re watching this adorable video from Patricia of Farm To Table Baby Mama on repeat. It’s giving us the immediate gratification of that SQIRL fix – plus her adorable son is too much to bear! Watch along with us as Patricia shares her SQIRL visit, including this beautiful jam recipe that can be made in part with your children (the berry squishing!) Here is Patricia…
My family goes bonkers for jam. Seriously. We buy bread to eat jam. That’s the way it works in my house.
When it comes to making inventive, crazy-addictive, drool-worthy jam, Jessica Koslow of SQIRL really knows her stuff. Her SQIRL’s raspberry jam recipe will knock your socks off. This recipe is simple, easy to make, and a sure success at home even for the first time. It actually works very well with regular grocery store raspberries, as they tend to have more pectin, meaning this could be a great project if you don’t have a farmers market nearby. Plus, up until the actual cooking stages, it provides an opportunity for the whole family to get involved: have the kiddos help out by squishing the fruit and sugar between their fingers to blend the ingredients. Getting messy has never produced such delicious results.
This raspberry jam recipe is ripe for adaptation, so feel free to experiment with different herbs and spices to suit your taste. Happy jam-making!
SQIRL’s Raspberry Cardamom Jam
Ingredients:
Tools:
Cooper jam pan (or wide stainless steel stock pot)
spatula with long handle
scale
cheese cloth, satchel or turkey stuffing bag
mesh skimmer
glass jars
small plates in freezer
thermometer
For the jam:
4.5 lbs raspberries
3 lbs organic sugar*
1.7 oz fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons**
½ Tbsp ground cardamom
*Sugar is 67% of the weight of the berries.
**Keep remaining lemon halves. Lemon juice is 2.4% of the weight of the raspberries.
Directions:
Heat glass jars on a sheet pan in the oven at 225F for at least 20 minutes to prevent jars from breaking when pouring in the hot jam. Take 5 small plates and stick them in the freezer.
In a large bowl, crush the berries with your hands until smooth (or place in a food processor and pulse). Stir in the sugar and lemon juice to combine all the ingredients. Place the used lemon halves into a cheesecloth and place into the mixture.
Dump everything including the cheesecloth packet into a wide pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir often (and constantly if working in stainless steel) and skim off any foam. Tip: Stir and push from the bottom of the pan.
Once the jam is in the final cooking stages, stir in the ground cardamom.
We are in the final cooking stages when temperature reaches 210 degrees. Use the plate test to determine if the jam is ready.
Place a dollop of jam on a frozen plate and place it back in the freezer for one minute. Then run your finger through the jam. If it stays apart like the Red Sea and the top wrinkles like a furrowed brow, it’s ready. If not, continue cooking the jam and conducting the plate test every few minutes.
Turn off the stove once the jam is ready. Remove the jars from the oven and pour in the hot jam. Let it cool completely.
