Grape, Ginger and Wine Jam

I love making jams and preserves at home and I had seen this one at Chinmayee’s blog last year and its been running on my mind since that time. So this time as soon as I saw grapes in the market I knew it is time to make this one. The only change I did was in the way to use the grape skin. She had boiled it and then sieved it, I have done this before and I know that results in throwing away of a lot of skin, since I didn’t want that I grinded the skins with some sugar and added to the pulp, I still sieved it and had to use the pulp/skins in juice but I think I ended up using more of the skin this way

I also added a little red wine to the jam, I love adding alcohol to my jams. It acts as a preservative one and also takes the jams/preserves to a different level when it comes to taste

Recipe – Grape, Ginger and Wine Jam

Adapted from – Love Food Eat 

What I used

• 5 cups of cleaned grapes
• 3 cups of white sugar
• 3 inch piece of fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup white wine

How I made it

Clean and wash your grapes well. Deskin the grapes. Combine the pulp, crushed ginger and 2 1/2 cups of  sugar in a thick bottomed vessel and keep aside.

Add the 1/2 cup sugar to the skins of the grapes and blend it in the mixer to form a smooth paste. Add a little wine if you think its needed.

Add the above to the grape pulp and bring to a boil. Once the sugar melts completely, reduce the flame and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes till the fruits start to disintegrate and looks pulpy. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down a little.

Sieve the mixture to get rid of all the seeds and thick skin. Since we have already grinded the skins there will not be too much to be sieved. Press as much of the pulp of the fruits as possible with the back of your spoon to get all the juices of of the fruit. I let the pulp hang in muslin cloth for an hour so that all juice comes out.

Place the thick pulp back on the stove after adding the wine to it and let it simmer slowly till it reaches the jammy consistency. Mine took about 45 mins or so. A good test to check whether the jam is done to pour a drop of the hot jam on a chilled plate, let it rest for 30 seconds and then tilt the plate, the jam should flow slowly and feel thick.

Store it in an sterilized airtight bottle.