Melon is the perfect summer fruit. Loaded with sweetness and flavour, it's also super refreshing to eat on a hot summer day, and very versatile because it can be delicious in a fruit salad or with a nice prosciutto platter. Today we decided to make cantaloupe melon jam, the fleshiest of all the melons. Spread on a freshly baked bread slice, it's a perfect way to start the day.
For obvious reasons, melons tend to give a lot of water when heated, and depending on your taste, you might want to add some extra jellifying agent to this recipe, such as agar or extra pectin if you don't want to go for the traditional animal-made gelatin sheets. We don't mind it a bit runny (but not liquid), because on top of being spreadable, it can also easily be used as glazing on tarts & cakes to add a lovely looking shine.
If it's your first time making jam, make sure to boil your jars & lids and let them dry on a clean cloth before pouring the jam in it : this will ensure no nasty mold will grow and will allow you to keep it for as long as 6 months up to a year. Also, for extra security, fill up your jar to the very top, close the lid very tight, and let them cool down completely upside down.
Jam is traditionally made "tant-pour-tant", which means as much sugar as fruits (1 kilo of melon = 1 kilo of sugar). Yes.. Yes... That's a lot, but keep in mind that chances are you won't eat the full jar in one day. In this recipe, because we're also adding honey, we've reduced the amount of sugar slightly, but tried to keep a ratio of approximately 60% fruit - 40% sugar. If you're not using honey, we advise you to use the tant-pour-tant method to ensure your jam won't turn into a soup.
 20 minutes + 24h resting time |
 40 minutes |
 6 jars (370g/each) |
Ingredients
2 cantaloupe melons ( ~ 1,5 / 2 kilos)
~ 1 / 1,5 kilos of granulated sugar with pectin (known as jam sugar)
~ 150 grams of clear honey
1 teaspoon of almond extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Bakeware :
Large jam pot
or
Very large cooking pot
6 jam jars of 370 grams
Cut the melons and calculate your proportions
>> Peel the melons, empty the stones, and dice them into cubes of approximately the same size.
>> Weight your melons to workout the optimal amount of sugar. Basically, divide the weight of the melon by 3, and multiply this number by two to get the amount of sugar. For example :
2 kilos of melons divided by 3 = 666.67 grams
666.67 grams multiplied by 2 = 1333 grams of sugar needed
>> Now, calculate the proportion of clear honey you're going to add so it's about 10% of the sugar amount. To do so, simply divide the amount of sugar by 10. For example :
1333 grams of sugar divided by 10 = 133 grams of clear honey
Mix everything
>> Using a large cooking pot, or even better, a traditional copper jam pot (we're using an induction stove here, so we couldn't use traditional copper jam pot), and mix the melon cubes with the sugar.
>> Add the honey, the almond & vanilla extract, and mix until all the melon is equally coated.
>> Weight your melons to workout the optimal amount of sugar. Basically, divide the weight of the melon by 3, and multiply this number by two to get the amount of sugar. For example :
2 kilos of melons divided by 3 = 666.67 grams
666.67 grams multiplied by 2 = 1333 grams of sugar needed
>> Now, calculate the proportion of clear honey you're going to add so it's about 10% of the sugar amount. To do so, simply divide the amount of sugar by 10. For example :
1333 grams of sugar divided by 10 = 133 grams of clear honey
Mix everything
>> Using a large cooking pot, or even better, a traditional copper jam pot (we're using an induction stove here, so we couldn't use traditional copper jam pot), and mix the melon cubes with the sugar.
>> Add the honey, the almond & vanilla extract, and mix until all the melon is equally coated.
Bring to the boil
>> Cook over medium-high heat until boiling.
>> In the meantime, start the sterilization of your jars & lids by placing them in boiling water for 5 minutes, and letting them dry on a clean clothes.
>> Once boiling, keep it this way for 15 minutes while scooping off the foam regularly.
>> In the meantime, start the sterilization of your jars & lids by placing them in boiling water for 5 minutes, and letting them dry on a clean clothes.
>> Once boiling, keep it this way for 15 minutes while scooping off the foam regularly.
Mix your jam
>> With a plunging mixer, mix your jam thoroughly, until completely blended.
>> Should you still have foam on the top, dice a bit of butter (20 grams approx) and continue to mix. This should make the foam fully disperse.
>> Should you still have foam on the top, dice a bit of butter (20 grams approx) and continue to mix. This should make the foam fully disperse.
Fill your jars
>> As soon as your jar is full and securely closed, turn it upside down.
>> Repeat theses steps for all of your jars and wait over night (until it's completely cooled down) before enjoying your jam on toast ! The textures should be like a soft set jelly if you did not add any extra jellying agent.
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