Anna Higham’s Raspberry Jam and Three Jam-Filled Bakes
As we enter peak soft fruit season in the UK, Anna Higham of Quince Bakery shares her recipe for raspberry jam and three baked treats to make with it.
Good morning, and welcome to Vittles! Today, Anna Higham of Quince Bakery shares her recipe for raspberry jam, and then three baked treats to make with it: an ode to crostata di marmellata (an Italian jam tart), thumbprint cookies, and Anna’s version of a Bakewell tart.
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Anna Higham’s Raspberry Jam and Three Jam-Filled Bakes
As we enter peak soft fruit season in the UK, Anna Higham shares her recipe for raspberry jam and three bakes to make with it. Words and photos by Anna Higham.
‘There is a poetry in making preserves; the housewife has caught duration in the snare of sugar, she has enclosed life in jars’
Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex
When I’m standing over my jam pan, surrounded by fruity clouds, I see myself as an idealised version of traditional womanhood. Jam-making can bring to mind a nostalgic past when domestic arts were known innately, but making jam is a skill, and like any other skill it can be learned.
While preserving in general makes me feel like the perfect version of myself – someone who buys with intention and plans ahead for the cold winter months when they’ll will need jarred sunshine – jam-making also speaks to my over-ambitious tendencies. I get carried away and pick too much fruit, convincing myself that I have endless time and endless capacity. Some years I go overboard, and months later am still finding endless jars of blackcurrant jam. But the joy and pleasure I feel opening a jar each time is worth it. It makes me wonder at my own abilities to create. Each jar holds my perfect and imperfect self, suspended in sugar.
The theory behind making jam is simple. Delicious fruit is combined with sugar to sweeten and preserve, with some kind of acid – either from the fruit itself or added in separately – helping the pectin in the fruit activate and gel. Success in jam-making is often about understanding how much pectin your fruit has and how much acid it contains. The sugar level can be the divisive thing. No one wants jam that is too sweet; rather, the aim is to bring out the fruit’s natural flavour and trap its aroma without making it too sickly. I generally go for 60–70% sugar in my jams. I find this gives me jam with a decent set and good longevity. I also love to add vinegars (often flavoured ones) to give an extra boost of acidity that aids gelling and helps to balance the flavour.
Raspberries are an ideal fruit for learning how to make jam. They have a great natural balance of acid and pectin and so the jam will pretty much always set. They also require little to no prep, so you can get your jam on the stove really quickly. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, making raspberry jam will make your kitchen smell like a perfect summer day no matter what time of year it is.
Below you will find my recipe for raspberry jam and three bakes I like to use it in, all of which you can regularly find on the counter at Quince Bakery.
Thumbprint cookies find their way onto the menu at Quince at least once a month. They are a perfect vehicle to celebrate fruit and the exceptional nuts we get from Food & Forest. The version I’ve provided a recipe for here features almonds and hazelnuts, but we have lots of fun playing around with different flavour combinations, switching up the nuts to match with the flavour of jam.
I’m also sharing a recipe for a Bakewell tart of sorts. I’m always hesitant to call a tart a Bakewell, because I’m never quite sure if I’m staying true enough to the original version from Derbyshire. But, like every other pastry chef in London, a jammy, almondy tart has at some point featured on menus I have written. This tart uses raspberry jam as the base and is topped with a dense layer of almond frangipane.
Finally, my jam tart is an anglicised ode to the Italian crostata di marmellata. Jam tarts aren’t common in British baking anymore – they feel old fashioned, evoking images of children packing picnics for adventures in Enid Blyton novels – but in Italy they are still commonplace. The pastry contains a little polenta, which adds a pleasant crunch and subtle savouriness to balance the soft, sweetness of the jam. And although I still find this tart a little too sweet to eat at breakfast as the Italians do, I heartily recommend a slice with an afternoon coffee to lift your heart and mind.
Raspberry Jam
I make my jam with either fresh or frozen raspberries, depending on the time of the year. Frozen raspberries are widely available year-round and are a very affordable way to make jam. There’s no need to defrost – they can be added straight to the pan.
