By Seren Charrington Hollis
Like it or lump it the Western diet is now very high in sugar and whilst I am not against a sweet treat, too much sugar carries health risks. Overloading our systems with sugar has a harmful effect on metabolism and can contribute to all sorts of diseases.
Having looked into the health benefits of following a reduced sugar diet I was tempted make some sugar reductions in my own diet, however, when I realised that a direct link has been established between the amount of sugar circulating in the blood and how old a person looks I packed away the beauty cream and stepped away from the biscuit tin, whilst pledging to reduce my sugar intake. After all, scientists from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and Unilever in the UK have discovered that for every 1mm/litre increase in blood sugar, the perceived age of that person rose by five months. Well, the incentive of looking twenty years younger was a big lure in reducing my sugar intake, but my reason for looking at reducing sugar was that refined sugar robs you of energy and with two little ones in tow and a growing menagerie I need all the energy I can muster.
My philosophy is and always has been a bit of what you fancy does you good and so my only plan has been to reduce my refined sugar intake and not cut it out altogether. As I spend a lot of time and effort preserving and love nothing more than a slathering of jam on my toast for breakfast, making refined-sugar free jam seemed like an ideal starting point. However, when it comes to jam I am a bit of a purist and have always been a great advocator of traditional methods and recipes that all include sugar, so making a refined sugar-free jam was a monumental step for me.
When developing recipes for jam that did not include cane sugar a few issues popped up and it took a little bit of experimentation and thought to get some good results. The food safety of the sugar free jam was never an issue — because it’s not the sugar in jams that makes a recipe safe; it’s the acid level. Here, the acid level is high enough to keep the sealed jar contents safe and unspoiled, but the jam is not going to win any beauty contests because the jam has a duller appearance and is lacking that sugar-filled glossy lustre that traditional recipe jams have. I’ve also found that sugar-free jams can discolour and become brownish in their jars over time. There is also the matter of keeping, unlike traditional jams, the sugar-free version only keeps for two months in the fridge (unopened) and once opened you only have a week in the fridge before it starts to turn mouldy. However, when it comes to taste I have been pleasantly surprised and to be frank rather delighted.
The thing to remember with jams that exclude refined sugars is that what you put into it is exactly what you’re going get out of it. Now whilst I always preach use the best fruit in jam making, when it comes to sugar-free jam you really need to select the sweetest, most perfectly ripe fruit you can find, after all there will be no added sugar to mask tartness or pep up the end result – the taste of the ingredients you add into the jam pan will be what you are tasting in finished jars of jam.
No-Added-Sugar Pear & Lemon Jam
4 llbs. pears, peeled, cored
2 lemons
59 ml (2 fl. Oz) white grape juice
3 teaspoons pectin powder (for jam making)
Method:
Take the peeled pears and quarter them. Cut each quarter of pear in half. Place the pear pieces into a saucepan and cook (covered) with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan for 10-12 minutes, until soft.
Cool the softened pears and then blend with a food processor, hand blender or good old fashioned potato masher if nothing else is to hand. Set the pear puree aside.
Finely slice one lemon, after removing the pithy core, to do this cut the lemon in half along the stem line and remove the pithy centre, turn each lemon half over, and slice it finely. Place the lemon slices into a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer for ten minutes.
In a large saucepan add the water which the lemons simmered in to the pear puree and add the squeezed juice of the remaining lemon to the mixture. Bring the pear mixture to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring regularly to prevent sticking or burning.
As the pears and lemon juice are simmering, blitz the lemon slices in a food processor. Add the lemon pulp to the simmering pears and stir well.
When the pear mixture is a soft smooth consistency remove it from the heat and add the white grape juice stirring well.
Bring the pear mixture back to a boil and quickly stir in the pectin solution. Cook the jam, stirring constantly, for exactly 1 minute. Bring it back to a boil and remove it from the heat.
Pour the jam into sterilised jars, wiping the rims clean before adding lids.
This jam will keep for 8-10 weeks in the fridge and it is delicious in its own right, but best spread on thick toast.
Refined Sugar Free Strawberry Jam
This recipe for strawberry jam does take some time to make in the absence of sugar cane but the end result is pure strawberry goodness. It is not sweet in a traditional jam way, but it is sweet enough and has an amazing buttery smooth and creamy consistency. It’s a natural taste of summer and if you are not keen on very sugary jams then you’ll love this recipe.
Ingredients:
500g fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
Instructions
In a jam pan place the prepared strawberries and over a low heat, simmer them, mashing them gently with a potato masher. Continue this process until the strawberries are soft.
Meanwhile whisk the water, lemon juice and arrowroot powder in a medium saucepan then add to the strawberry puree.
Bring the mixture to a boil slowly over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Lower the heat and simmer gently until it thickens. As it begins to thicken, stir frequently to avoid burning. You will know it is done when you draw a rubber spatula through the centre and it creates a gap that stays open for a few seconds and then fills back in. Once this happens remove from the heat and jar.
The arrowroot is the thickener in this jam, but imparts cloudiness to the finished product, so the resulting jam is a pinkish red and not the glossy deep red of traditional strawberry jam.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Blueberry Heaven
My children adore blueberries, considering the quantities they eat I am really surprised that they are not Smurf coloured. I had really good results with making refined sugar-free blueberry jam because blueberries are naturally sweet and when cooked down the sugars seem to caramelise and intensify the flavours of the fruit.
Ingredients
750g fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons arrowroot powder
Method:
Place the blueberries in a jam pan and over a low heat, gently crush then with a potato masher to create a rough puree.
Meanwhile whisk the water, lemon juice and arrowroot powder in a medium saucepan then add to the blueberry puree.
Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat, stirring frequently and then simmer until it thickens. Once the mixture is of a thick and of a spreadable jam-like consistency, remove it from the heat and decant into sterilised jars.
This jam will keep for two months in the fridge.
Top Tip: when making jams that rely on arrowroot powder for thickening, you must allow for the fact that the jam will thicken further upon cooling. If the finished jam is too thick or gloopy then you can return it to the jam pan and add some water before reheating and this will often resolve the problem.
Well I cannot promise that I will be exclusively making sugar-free jam from now on, but I have certainly enjoyed being able to serve up a healthier option at breakfast and the results have been tastier than I ever expected.
