Mes Confitures - Your Recommendations

13 years ago

Hello Everyone,

It's been quite some time since I've posted here. I'm still around and still canning. I just bought myself a copy of Mes Confitures. What do you recommend making? Are there any hints, tips, tricks (or ways of cheating)? I'm concerned about making all that green apple jelly for the pectin. Is there something else I can use (Certo or Sure gel or will that ruin the recipe)?

I'm not a newbie when it comes to making jellies and jams but have a limited portfolio of what I do well (grape jam, apple pie jam, habanero gold, hot pepper jelly, kiwi daiquiri jam, and raspberry pomegranate jelly). Any help & suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Featured Answer

readinglady

13 years ago

Since we're talking preserves without commercial pectin, try this. Take your pan off the heat. Cool and refrigerate overnight. Cover with a cloth not a lid so condensation doesn't put extra liquid back into the preserve. Examine the preserve in the morning. That will tell you the degree of final set. If it's not enough, re-heat (It won't harm the preserve.) and continue cooking. Once you've made a batch or two with the proper set, you'll begin to get a sense of how it should look at that point.

When I first began making this kind of preserve I overcooked. Then I undercooked. I got to the point where I must have taken the preserve off the burner a thousand times checking for set before I finally "got it."

Remember also, if the fruit is dead-ripe odds are the best set you'll get will still be a little loose. A lot of Ferber's preserves are lower-pectin fruits anyway and just not meant for an "American-style" firmer set.

If you're using a thermometer, calibrate it. It may be off.

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Comments (38)

readinglady
13 years ago
Certo and Surejell require a different ratio of sugar so I wouldn't try to substitute.

You might begin with the recipes that don't require green apple pectin. There are a lot in her book that don't and you can build a good repertoire without using it. The peach preserves, for instance, are wonderful.

Carol
joannaw
13 years ago
I loved, loved, loved the two kinds of apricot with vanilla and gewurtztraminer. Also the peach and raspberry with cardamom. Am trying to decide which of the pear recipes I should make now that the first pears are showing up at the market...

No tips, really, other than that you should peel the plums even though she doesn't say to (and perhaps not peel the apricots even though she does say to).
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Pick: Only perfect and perfectly ripe apricots will do. 2. Array: Assemble your tools: Copper jam pan or other medium-sized heavy low stockpot, canner or large stock pot, ceramic bowl, skimmer, wooden spoon, ladle, sieve, jar-lifter, tongs, candy thermometer, timer, parchment paper, clean dish towel, 4 1-cup Mason jars plus new lids, bands and labels. 3. Macerate: Rinse apricots in cold water. Cut them in half; discard pits. Mix apricots, sugar, water, vanilla beans and lemon juice in the bowl. Cover with parchment paper, pressing gently so paper touches fruit. Refrigerate 1 hour. 4. Simmer: Scrape apricot mixture into the jam pan. Bring to a simmer. Pour back into bowl. Press on parchment paper and refrigerate overnight. 5. Sterilize: Next day, wash jars, bands and lids. Set aside bands. Put lids in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Let lids sit in hot water. Set jars in a stockpot. Fill pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. 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First I want to say for a more "conventional" book with preserves in a similar vein, I'd recommend Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine. I'm assuming when you juiced the apples, you cooked them as per Ferber's instructions. Based on what you're saying I don't think you did anything wrong. The fact that the jelly was clumping as you poured it indicates it was setting even before it went into the jar. But to be fully set a jelly, even an apple jelly, can take as long as six weeks on the shelf. I think traditional preserving requires a certain tolerance for insecurity and unpredictability. The ripeness of the fruit, the character of the fruit, will affect the final result, regardless of the preserver's skill or the caliber of the book. You can "strengthen" the apple jelly by boiling peels, cores and seeds in a bag with the juice or by double-cooking the pulp to extract every bit of natural pectin. A 6-7 pound batch of fruit and sugar will yield generally 5-7 8-oz. (250mL) jars. Ferber's recipes are small-batch and all the ones I've tried fall within that range. Working with natural pectin, it's not recommended to go beyond a batch of that size, though sometimes you can stretch it. However, you risk overcooking. Ferber follows European practice for preservation, which means no heat processing. It's not "unsafe" per se, but it does tend to reduce the shelf life and increase the risk of mold. So yes, 5 minutes with sterilized jars or 10 minutes BWB with hot clean ones is a good idea. Carol
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jude31
13 years ago
I've made the fig jam w/vanilla recipe twice (without the vanilla) and I couldn't wait to make the fig jam with Gewurztraminer and pine nuts. It never got thick and I cooked it twice as long as the directions said. The flavor is very good but it is like a thin sauce. With the price of pine nuts I was surely hoping for better. I wish there was a better way to test the jell, like temperature, for instance. I don't seem to ever get the right consistency with the chilled saucer. After a while I just give up and put it in the jars.

Most suggestions for using a thin jam, jelly, preserves etc. are to serve it over ice cream, which, most often, is not very appealing to me.

jude
decemberdaisy
13 years ago
I made "Vineyard Peach" out of her book, plus the "Green Apple Jelly". I headed over to one of my local orchards and got a bunch of unripe apples for a very reasonable price and made the jelly that same day. It was very easy -- totally doable. Apricot Vanilla is soooo delish!

I agree with one of the PP with regard to the length of time to get the jam to the gel stage (220 degrees F at sea level). It took my peach jam a really, really long time to get to the gel stage. I think that was because the peaches were all very ripe (I've since read that at least 25% of the fruit be underripe to assist in the gel). The green apple jelly came together in a snap.

I love the interesting combinations of flavors in her book - there are a number of the fall jams that are on my "must do" list.

Good luck!
mapleleafquilt
13 years ago
I, too, just received Mes Confitures as well as Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine. (I couldn't decide which to choose after reading about both of these books on this forum.) I love cookbooks and enjoy reading them from cover to cover. I started reading "Gourmet Preserving" and she talks about making "apple pectin stock" from Granny Smiths (doesn't mention that they need to be un- or under-ripe). She says to pass the solids through a food mill to remove skins and pips and use the apple puree in breads, muffins, etc. APS can be kept in the refrig for a month; it can be frozen; or it can be vacuum-sealed for future use.

She also describes a test for the pectin level: taking some of the juice and adding alcohol to it and then, based on the test results, how to raise the pectin level. This makes so much more sense to me than what I've been doing by guesswork and then cooking, cooking, cooking...the fruit to death.
(Of course, I have tried neither of these things.)
Any comments on these ideas?

I'm so excited about the recipes in these books!
joan
readinglady
13 years ago
The alcohol test is standard. It's been in common use since at least the 1800's. Just don't "taste-test"!

However, the alcohol test will only tell you the pectin level of the fruit so that you can determine if it will set well on its own or if additional pectin (i.e. apple pectin stock) is needed.

Using temperature for a jell set is well-known also. The jell temp will vary depending upon altitude, being 220 (or 221 for a firm set) at sea level. Actually the jell temp is boiling point + 8 degrees, whatever that might be at your elevation.

Even knowing the jell point, not all preserves will set or set well. That depends upon the ratio of fruit:sugar:acid. A low-pectin fruit will never set well alone; you'll just overcook it.

Carol
jude31
13 years ago
Carol, thank you for the comment about the temperature..I probably should have known that, but since I'm rather new at jelly making I obviously should do more homework. Could I have done something else that would at least have thickened the fig gewurztraminer pine nuts jam? It is REALLY thin! Maybe more lemon? My other fig recipes all turned out very well.

BTW I did make the peach preserves last year and they were very good.

jude
nancyofnc
13 years ago
Perhaps testing your thermometer would help. Using the full rolling boil of the water in your water bath canner, and constantly stirring it so that the true temperature is consistent throughout the water, insert your instant read or already installed bulb type thermometer and see if they read 212F (temperature that water boils at sea level).

Mine were off by +5.6F and -5F (reading 217.6F and 207F) even though I am at sea level and since they are not adjustable, I used a permanent marker and wrote how much more or less to read them at the true 220F for gel set which is 8F above boiling point (225.6F and 215F in my case).

This is also applicable to those of you who are 1,000 ft. or more above sea level. You have to know what the temperature is for boiling water where you are canning to compensate and then add 8F to that number for gel set.

To get really, truly, absolutely accurate you'd need to compute the variation of current barometric pressure every batch, but, eh, for me, not significant enough to fool with when I am busy jamming, since I am not a scientist and don't have time for that variance of tenths of degrees or so, besides which jamming is not absolute anyway. I get enough variance per batch from what time of day I pick, if the fruit was refrigerated, or if the kitchen is warmer one day than the next, and to figure what percentage of the bowl of fruit is not quite ripe in the batch, etc. etc., etc. At least the thermometers can be tested easily and only use a little kitchen science.

Nancy
tracydr
13 years ago
Wonder if the big copper jam pan makes a difference? She makes a pretty big deal about the pan and I don't have one.
readinglady
13 years ago
Copper can make a difference (as with beating egg whites), but some are uncomfortable with using unlined copper preserving pans because jams are acid and small amounts of copper do leach into the preserve.

I don't use copper. I think one of the benefits of the copper pan is that it's wide and shallow for quick evaporation and that can be achieved with a lot of pans. I use the Maslin pan at the link.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Maslin Pan
roses_more_roses
13 years ago
I have tried the wild blackberry, and the yellow & white peaches. Both are great! The peach was the best that I've ever made. I'm sure they will be both my standby recipes, I was given the peaches, and they were all yellow cling-stone. I would love to try the recipe with both yellow and white peaches. Neither recipe called for the apple pectin, they both took an additional few minutes to cook to a jelling point. I also like breaking the process into two days, one to soak in the sugar, and the next day to cook & can.
jude31
13 years ago
Has anyone made the 'White Peach with Lemon Verbena'? I have lots of lemon verbena and I think I'd like to try the combo. Since the recipe calls for the zest of half a lemon, do you think I would still use 1/4 C. bottle lemon instead of the lemon juice? I kept thinking I'd make some more lemon verbena jelly but haven't gotten around to doing that so far this year.

TIA

jude
moochymunk
13 years ago
Hi --

I've made some basic jams in the past -- mostly from the Certo pectin boxes, etc. I'd really like to try some of the jams in this book, but I have what is probably a somewhat dumb question. Nowhere in the book does she talk about processing the jam. She simply turns the cans over to set the lid. I remember doing that years ago, but I thought for safety reasons, it is recommended processing the jars now. If that is true, how do I know how long to process?
caryltoo Z7/SE PA
13 years ago
OMG you guys are making we want to try jelly making -- never have. Where would I go for simple basic recipes and directions? This thread is obviously too advanced for me.

Caryl
readinglady
13 years ago
Processing jams isn't done for safety reasons. It's done for shelf-life reasons. If we're speaking of full-sugar high-acid jam products, the only risk if they're not water bath processed is a possibility of mold or oxidation due to increased contact with air.

Americans tend to make larger batches and keep them around longer, so we do process.

In regards to Mes Confitures just process the preserves for the standard time, 10 minutes for 8-oz. jars unless you're at altitude.

I will have to think about the best resource for a beginner. In the meantime, someone else may have a suggestion.

Carol
moochymunk
13 years ago
Hi Carol,

Thanks for the quick reply -- I appreciate it. And, I swear that I checked past threads for the answer, but must have missed it....this morning, looking for something else, I see the question was addressed a couple of weeks ago. Sorry!

I just finished processing the White Peach and Raspberry Jam and it looks gorgeous. But, WAY sweeter than I was expecting, considering my peaches were probably a tad underripe. I may have to use this as Peach Melba Ice Cream Topping.

Thanks for your help. I've learned a lot from you!
roses_more_roses
13 years ago
Caryltoo
The Ball Blue Book is a great place to start, it is very inexpensive, and is my canning Bible when I need information. Also The National Center for Home Food Preservation website, and the Fresh Preserving website. Another great basic starter book is Ball Complete Book of Canning. For me Mes Confitures is great for new ways to make jams & jellies without store bought pectin. I'm sure others will have more suggestions and ideas of where to start.
caryltoo Z7/SE PA
13 years ago
Roses, thanks. I'm having a duh moment because I have a BBB book and just never looked at the jelly or jam section.

Caryl
booberry85
Original Author
13 years ago
I'm loving reading through this thread. Thanks everyone and keep the recommendations coming. Has anyone made the Watermelon, Apple & Grapefruit Jam?
jude31
13 years ago
Well, I did it again....made the peach/lemon verbena preserves and they did NOT set, but the taste is great. I can't figure out what I'm doing or not doing that is the culprit. I have apple pie jam from 2 years ago that never set, cranberry pepper jelly from last year and none of the different peach preserves that I made this year, although the peach lemon verbena is the thinnest. All of the fig "stuff" did well though.

Very frustrating.

jude
jude31
13 years ago
I forgot to mention the fig preserves with gewurztraminer and pine nuts, really didn't set.

jude
mockturtle
13 years ago
I have made three of Ferber's Strawberry jam recipes and one of her peach.I was planning on using them as gifts, but my family refuses to let me.The flavor is amazing, the best I have ever eaten. I was in Paris a couple of years ago, and bought a bunch of her jams. They are wonderful, but they are even better made at home. I suppose it just comes down to making jam for selling in massive quantities vs. making a couple of dozen jars at home.
I have made two batches at a time, one in a copper pot and one in stainless steel, and it was really interesting how differently they cooked up.
But I am really intrigued by the pot that Carol linked, and may just have to get one, certainly a great price!

Next up...Ferber pear recipes.
mapleleafquilt
13 years ago
I think Bullwinkel (Gourmet Preserves) likes enameled cast iron as a preserving pot. I have been coveting a copper preserving pan, but I think because of the romance. Any opinions/comparisons about enameled cast iron? The copper Mauviel is spendy... Thanks for the Maslin info.

joan
mockturtle
13 years ago
I forgot, it wasn't the copper and stainless that used together, it was copper and enameled cast iron.
Both jams turned out great, no difference in flavor that I could see. The biggest difference was that the copper was much faster, which would make sense.
I will continue to use both simultaneously as I won't be buying a second copper pot!!!! (mine was a birthday gift from my husband) The Le Creuset was just fine.
mapleleafquilt
13 years ago
Today I attempted to make the Green Apple Jelly. I used some small, hard apples from a friend's garden. I'm not sure of the variety but she did say that they are usually ripe in October. I am in No. CA and everything seems to be at least 3 weeks late. The recipe yield was 4 and 3/4 half-pint jars. The four full jars appear to be liquid-y but the "short" jar seems to be jelled. I followed the recipe and cooked on high heat for the longer time (Ferber says 5-10 minutes) but did not "check the set" before bottling.

I was hoping to make the Apple with Caramel in Mes Confitures which calls for the GAJelly. I was in France this summer and we stayed at a marvelous B&B in Provence. At breakfast Julien would have 20 different preserves at the table, including a fantastic Peach Caramel.

Is the Green Apple Jelly a no-brainer? Does it set up immediately? Any advice? I have another 1.5 kg of these apples. Should I just try again? Has anyone made the Apple Caramel?

Joan
readinglady
13 years ago
It doesn't necessarily set immediately, but going by time is the least accurate as apples will vary so much, as will the readiness of the jelly at ten minutes depending upon the stove and the pan.

With a jelly it is also possible to cook too long and break the jell, so it's critical to know what to look for and verify with a thermometer or by using the chilled plate test.

Carol
mapleleafquilt
13 years ago
A couple of weeks ago I made a batch of preserves from the Mirabelle Plum recipe. I bought my fruit (from the Berkeley Bowl) a combination of "prune" plums and big dark ones (outside and inside). This was my first Ferber experiment. I wish I would have cut the fruit into smaller pieces. I love "jam" on toast and yogurt, mostly. I also wish I would have removed the skin, as someone else said on this forum. Ferber doesn't mention this. I was concerned that by eliminating the skin, I might lose some tartness.

I'm happy with the consistency (spoon-able) but it's probably just luck. The preserves are very sweet but I am amazed at the complexity of the flavors in the fruit: spicy, sweet, tart, and truly mirabilis. I could have eaten a whole jar in the service of deconstructing this confection. Next year I will search for damson plums and will definitely reprise this recipe.
gardengal19
13 years ago
Carol, or anyone else who has a Maslin pan---I am thinking about that Maslin pan. I have an induction stovetop and it requires steel cookware that have a flat bottom and will hold a magnet. Does the Maslin fit the bill? If so, I will order right away - only a couple days left with free shipping until 9-27 -gloria
gardengal19
13 years ago
Sad news -- I just called the company and the Maslin pan is NOT recommended for induction stovetop. :( boohoo
mapleleafquilt
13 years ago
Bartlett Pears were 39 cents per lb. today and I am determined to try the Pear with caramel and spices recipe. Any advice about how ripe the pears should be?

I tried the Vineyard Peach recipe and did not get a good gel. I re-read Ferber's notes and decided that I need to be more observant during the cooking. Now I'm wondering about over-cooking. Are we talking about over-cooking the fruit and compromising the fruit or over-cooking the pectin?

joan
readinglady
13 years ago
If by good gel you mean something fairly firm akin to the jell from commercial pectin, it's not going to happen with the Vineyard peach recipe. With that preserve the optimal result will in all likelihood be somewhat "drippy." That's because peaches don't have much pectin or acid, there's no commercial pectin, no apple jelly or other higher-pectin amendment aside from a little lemon to assist the set.

European preserves like that just don't set to American expectations. You can firm that preserve up, but it will never really set any better; it's just that prolonged cooking thickens it up by evaporating out more water and changing the ratio of sugar to fruit in the preserve. But by then, as you suspected, it's going to have lost the freshness of flavor you worked so hard for. Annie describes that kind of preserve as "taffy."

That's why the pear recipe calls for apple jelly. Pears are also quite low in pectin and without the apple jelly the best set will tend more towards the syrupy than the firm.

In both cases you can improve the set by using 25% underripe fruit but at some point too much underripe fruit will also diminish the flavor.

Carol
cindy-6b/7a VA
13 years ago
I did make the Watermelon, Apples, and Grapefruit recipe. It has a very bitter after taste and adding more sugar didn't compensate for the bitterness of the grapefruit. It has a very strong sour after taste.

If I make it again, I will substitute 2 oranges for the large pink grapefruit.

It did set well.

Cindy
mapleleafquilt
13 years ago
I made this pear jam today, having ignored Ferber's admonitions about freshness. I had bought the fruit and it was very green so I let it ripen on my counter top until it was mostly yellow. Yesterday, I peeled, cored and sliced it into julienne. I had bought fresh spices and I ground them in a coffee grinder that I dedicate to spices. I was a little anxious about the potency -- fearful that the fruit would be overpowered.

I cooked it today and the flavor is fabulous! It is pear-y with a spicy complexity, but the spices are not overwhelming. I used the Green Apple Jelly I made in August from Ferber's recipe. The consistency looks great (the fruit appears suspended in the "syrup") but I will hold off on that assessment until I open a jar.

I'm curious about the proportion of fruit to "liquid/jam". I weighed all of my ingredients and I understand that the recipe is based on a sugar/fruit ratio but I wonder about adding more fruit. Still, I am so enthusiastic about this that I am off to see if my market still has Bartlett pears for 39 cents a pound!

joan
readinglady
13 years ago
If you add more fruit you will not only alter the sugar/fruit ratio but also add more water to the preserve (via the fruit juices), so longer cooking will be necessary. Sometimes you can "get away with" this but pears are delicate and low-pectin; odds are the freshness of flavor will be lost and the spices will become stronger.

Carol
Ted_H
12 years ago
Very, very newby here. Just made my first batch a jelly -- Tea-Apple Jelly.

It hasn't set. So a few questions --

Does it sometimes need a few days after processing to set? Or should I just open the jars and try again?

I cooked it to 220 degrees -- the recipe said that it would boil up, but it took the mixture almost no time to reach that temp and it never foamed up.

And, here's the oddest thing. The little bit of jelly in the bottom of the pot, once it cooled down, was very jelly-like -- does processing the jars in water bath canning do something to the natural pectin?

Thanks in advance
iice9
12 years ago
Hi Ted: I have had no success with any tea jellies. Part of the problem, I think, is that tea has a very high pH = 6 or 7. I believe the jelly just isn't acidic enough to set no matter how green your apples are.

Someone with a better understanding of the chemistry might be better able to provide an explanation but I tried three or four tea recipes and never could get it to set without using pectin.

If you want something to set, so that you find some success fast, try the Black Currant. You will be a happy man.

Irene
gardengrl
12 years ago
I made the Green Apple Jelly and added cinnamon sticks to the apple stock when boiling to gel stage. Amazing! It came out to what I would describe as a Cinnamon Caramel Apple Jelly.

I've been using small, green apples from a neighbor's tree and have made 2 batches so far. Both have set for me, but I have found that it's taken anywhere from 18-30 minutes to come to get stage versus the 5-10 that Ferber recommends.

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