Bourbon Peach Jam with Vanilla Bean

Serves Six half-pint jars

Bourbon Peach Jam with Vanilla Bean

30 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

1 hrTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds ripe peaches
• 3 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 vanilla bean, 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 3/4 cup bourbon, divided
• One (6-ounce) box liquid pectin (two foil packets)

Instructions

1. Prepare the jars and lids: place six clean half-pint jars on a tray and put into a 225 degree oven; keep war, until ready to fill.
2. Put the bands and lids into a medium saucepan and cover with water. Heat over medium heat until the water is simmering, then remove the pan from heat and keep the bands and lids in the hot water until ready to use.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill another large bowl with ice water. Cut an X into the bottom of each peach and drop them into the boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove the peaches from the hot water and immediately plunge them into the ice water.
4. Once cool, pull off skin and chop the peaches. Transfer HALF of them to a blender and pulse just until they are coarsely pureed. You should have about 4 cups of puree.
5. Put a large pot for canning on the stove filled with water and heat on high.
6. Put both the pureed and chopped peaches in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add both sugars, lemon juice, lime juice, 1/2 cup of the bourbon, vanilla and butter.
7. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Add the pectin and return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute.
8. Add the remaining bourbon and let boil for a few seconds.
9. Turn off heat and let mixture settle; skim any foam from the surface with a metal spoon. Discard the vanilla bean if used.
10. Remove the jars from the oven and ladle the hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars, cover with lids, and screw bands on until just barely tight.
11. Place the jars on a rack in the canning pot with boiling water and cover the pot. When the water in the pot returns to a boil, boil for 10 minutes for half pint jars and 15 minutes for full pints.
12. Turn off heat, remove jars from pot and allow them to rest undisturbed on countertop for six hours or overnight.
13. Preserved jam will keep for up to one year in a cool, dark place.
14. If you choose to not preserve the jam, it will keep refrigerated for about 6 months in the fridge.

Notes

I had more than six jars of jam; so I was scrambling to prepare more jars and lids. I would suggest you over estimate and have a couple of extra jars ready.

Also, don't be intimidated by the notion of canning. I am a 'small batch' canner. Meaning I don't have a lot of specialty equipment. I use a large stockpot for the canning process and I've simply bought a trivet meant for cooling cakes to put into the bottom of it to keep the jars stable in boiling water. Before I found them? I put a kitchen towel in the water and it worked too.

Get a jar gripper though and a funnel for the jars; they both do simplify the task of both filling the jars and getting them into and out of the hot water. Most grocery stores have a canning section with any supplies you would need including jars, lids and the SureJell pectin.. Try it...you'll like it!

http://www.creative-culinary.com/bourbon-peach-jam-vanilla-bean/