Apricot preserve with Amaretto

The best apricot preserve ever :). I originally planned to make it with orange liqueur (I thought the combination would be wonderful), but a friend insisted that apricots and Amaretto are simply meant to be together ;). I don’t usually use pectin to speed things up – I prefer to cook my preserves slowly until enough of the water has evaporated and they reach just the right consistency. The downside is that you don’t end up with a huge quantity… But then again, that’s the thing about little luxuries, isn’t it? The first thing I thought of using it for was filling some winter gingerbread cookies – and I already can’t wait!

Makes 4 small jars.

Ingredients for the apricot preserve with Amaretto:

• 1 kg apricots
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp butter
• ⅓ cup almond liqueur, such as Amaretto

Wash, stone and quarter the apricots. Place them in a heavy-based saucepan, add the water and lemon juice, sprinkle with the sugar, place over the heat and bring to the boil. Cook for several hours over a low heat, uncovered, until the apricots start to break down and enough water has evaporated for the preserve to reach the desired consistency. It’s best to spread the cooking process over 2 days.* Add the Amaretto at the very end and stir through.

During cooking, it’s worth adding 1–1½ tbsp butter to the preserve. I didn’t know this before, but apparently it prevents foam from forming during cooking. It really does work – a great little trick!

How do you know when the preserve has reached the right consistency? Place a small plate in the freezer. Spoon a little hot preserve onto the frozen plate. If it sets and a skin forms on the surface that wrinkles when you touch it, it’s ready.

Sterilise the jars (with boiling water or in an oven preheated to 100°C). Pour the preserve into the jars and seal tightly. Set aside.

Preserving:

Line a large, wide-based saucepan with tea towels. Place the jars inside, side by side, and pour in enough boiling water to come three-quarters of the way up the jars. Bring to the boil (the temperature of the water you add should be similar to the temperature of the jars; never pour cold water over hot jars, as they could crack). Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the jars and leave to cool completely. Some people also turn the jars upside down and wrap them in blankets, leaving them like this to cool overnight.

If you would like to make a larger quantity of preserve, simply add pectin after a short cooking time. Pectin is a natural substance that thickens jams and preserves; use it according to the instructions on the packet.

Enjoy!