This sweet jam is a great substitute or compliment for cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, but my favorite ways to eat it are on top of baked brie, or stuffed in chicken with brie. I really want to try it with calamari, but haven't gotten around to that yet, as it seems to magically disappear within a week!
The wine that you choose can make a big difference to the taste of the jam. For this batch, I used a 2008 Natura organic Carmenere, which has notes of ripe cherries and plums. It blends right into the jam flavors. In past years, I've used a cheap Shiraz, which really takes over and works well with the brie.
Ingredients
12 ounces fresh cranberries
2/3 cup dried figs, chopped
1 sprig fresh mint
1/4 lemon, pressed
1/4 cup orange, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine
7 cups sugar
3 pinches ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups water
1 package certo or Ball fruit pectin
12 ounces fresh cranberries
2/3 cup dried figs, chopped
1 sprig fresh mint
1/4 lemon, pressed
1/4 cup orange, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine
7 cups sugar
3 pinches ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups water
1 package certo or Ball fruit pectin
1 Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Place jars, face up on top rack in oven. Leave in oven for 20 minutes, then set them aside to cool, slightly.
2 Place cranberries, 5 mint leaves, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3 While the cranberries are boiling, chop the figs, lemon and orange, and measure the sugar.
4 Remove the mint leaves from the cranberry mixture, and add the figs and orange. Crush the mixture with a potato masher.
5 Add the wine, cardamom, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, while stirring in the sugar.
6 Stir in the pectin quickly. Return to a full rolling boil for exactly one minute.
7 Ladle quickly into prepared jars filling to within 1/8 inch of the tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads. Cover with flat lids; then screw bands tightly. Invert jars for 5 minutes, then turn upright. (Or follow water bath method recommended by the USDA) After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
8 Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jam in a cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams up to 3 weeks. Refer to USDA recommendations for further canning guidelines.
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