
Oh man, I’m so into stone fruit this season. With October just a few days away, I’m not yet sick of apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines and plumcots. I could eat them for years. Okay, maybe not years – but at least the next few weeks until we officially move into fall. And now with E gone, though it’s absolutely bittersweet, I have plenty of time to tinker around in my kitchen – make a mess and not clean it up until the next day – burn things - try new stuff that no one but me needs to eat (sous vide anyone?) – cook, drink too much wine and watch a romantic comedy all at the some time. Despite the sadness associated with getting to know my apartment again as a single girl – there’s something quite liberating about cooking for one.

Wanting to savor the flavors of late-summer to the majority of you and early summer for us here in Northern California – I was excited to concoct a new jam using a fresh batch of white peaches that I had purchased at the farmer’s market. And, it had to adhere to my three simple rules about jam, jelly and preserve making:
- It can’t be so sweet that it hurts my teeth (I’m talking to you Smuckers).
- It should have a new, complex and interesting flavor. I realize that this is 100% subjective – but the goal here isn’t to make the same old strawberry jam that I’ve been eating since I was five (again, I’m talking to you Smuckers).
- It’s got to use fruit that’s in season. Because, you know – that’s at least kind of the point of jam making, right?
With these rules in mind and a handful of successful jam making experiments earlier this summer – I labored for about an hour and a half one Sunday afternoon to create one of the tastiest jams that I’ve ever had. Provided that you’re liberal with the Chinese Five Spice (which I was), there’s nothing dull or subtle about this jam. White peaches, which offer a meatier texture and slightly sweeter flesh than generic peaches, were actually a great canvas for this. Because of the natural pectin content, I didn’t need to add pectin, which makes me one happy girl.
The fresh vanilla adds a nice, velvety softness that reminds me of pillows or bunnies or cotton balls or maybe all three. Mixed with the Chinese Five Spice, it’s the perfect mix of sugar and spice (and everything nice??). By keeping the skin on the peaches, the finished product has a beautiful amberish, purpleish color, which, ironically, reminds me of fall.
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