Jams and Preserves

Home-made jam or jelly is the perfect accompaniment for scones and pikelets; pickles and chutneys add savour to simple meals; and preserves always make welcome gifts to other households. The community cook books I have include literally hundreds of favourite recipes from home kitchens all over New Zealand. With just a few of them in the cupboard or fridge you'll feel a warm glow of satisfaction - not to say smugness - at your skill and foresight.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Very easily made, these cucumber and onion pickles are perfect with bread and butter - hence their name - but they can be served with almost any cheese or cold meat too. Drain them and... More »
Melanzane sott'Olio (Aubergines preserved in oil)

This recipe comes from 'Marcella's Kitchen' by one of my favourite food writers, Marcella Hazan. The aubergine slices 'cooked' by being salted so that they release a lot of water and become slightly firm, almost... More »
Dulce de Membrillo (Quince Cheese)

Fruit cheeses are very old-fashioned preserves made from equal quantities of fruit and sugar cooked slowly together until they are very thick and paste-like. Once they have cooled and set they can be cut with... More »
Pickled Plums

This is based on a a very good and simple recipe that I found in Margaret Fulton's 1983 Encyclopaedia of Food and Cookery. The finished plums taste wonderful and look very pretty on the plate,... More »
Candied Orange Peel

My first attempt at candying orange peel, when I was about 13 years old, resulted in a smoke-filled kitchen, a blackened pan, charred and ruined peel and a very irritated and disappointed young cook. I... More »
Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

All my old cook books abound in recipes for jams and preserves made with rhubarb since rhubarb plants were once found in most New Zealand gardens, usually flourishing somewhere near the compost heap - rhubarb... More »
Raspberry and Strawberry Christmas Jam

Many people seem to have the fixed idea that the only way to make jam is in enormous batches which produce dozens of jars of jams and use up quantites of fruit and sugar. Not... More »
Mrs Paykel's Mustard Pickle

In New Zealand the names Mustard Pickle, Mixed Pickle, Piccalilli, or Chow Chow seem to be used interchangeably, although Chow Chow is a nineteenth-century American name for a thickened, sweetened mustard pickle, and Piccalilli seems... More »
Rhubarb and Strawberry Spoon Jam

Another jam from Aunt Daisy and a five-star favourite with our family. I have called it a spoon jam because it doesn't set firmly, since rhubarb and strawberries are low in pectin. It can be... More »
Roasted Feijoa Chutney

This is closely based on a recipe by Peter Gordon who had the brilliant idea of cooking chutney in a roasting dish in the oven rather than on the stove. A friend gave me a... More »
Apricot Curd

Less well-known than jams or jellies, fruit curds are specialty preserves for special occasions. We all know about lemon curd, a luxurious blend of eggs, sugar, butter and lemon juice, but I've recently discovered the... More »
Herb Jellies

These are simply apple jellies made a little tart by the addition of some cider vinegar. Once the jelly reaches setting point, you let it sit for 10 minutes then stir through some chopped fresh... More »
Melanzane sott'Olio (Aubergines preserved in oil)

This recipe comes from 'Marcella's Kitchen' by one of my favourite food writers, Marcella Hazan. The aubergine slices 'cooked' by being salted so that they release a lot of water and become slightly firm, almost leathery in texture, then they are flavoured with garlic, herbs and a little vinegar, packed into jars and covered with oil. Try slices of them with crusty bread before a meal, or toss them through ...
Roasted Feijoa Chutney

This is closely based on a recipe by Peter Gordon who had the brilliant idea of cooking chutney in a roasting dish in the oven rather than on the stove. A friend gave me a jar she had made and when I told her how sensationally good it was she kindly wrote out the recipe for me. I have altered it slightly to use whole feijoas so I don't have ...
Herb Jellies

These are simply apple jellies made a little tart by the addition of some cider vinegar. Once the jelly reaches setting point, you let it sit for 10 minutes then stir through some chopped fresh herbs, pour it into little jars and seal. For the sage jelly in the photograph I added the core and peelings of a couple of quinces to the apples and this made the jelly pink ...
Pickled Plums

This is based on a a very good and simple recipe that I found in Margaret Fulton's 1983 Encyclopaedia of Food and Cookery. The finished plums taste wonderful and look very pretty on the plate, but they must be made over two days and stored for at least 6 weeks before you can eat them. So they are not a last-minute treat but an example of good domestic foresight. By ...
Rhubarb and Strawberry Spoon Jam

Another jam from Aunt Daisy and a five-star favourite with our family. I have called it a spoon jam because it doesn't set firmly, since rhubarb and strawberries are low in pectin. It can be eaten as a dessert with yoghurt in the Middle Eastern manner just as successfully as with bread and butter or scones. If you call it a spoon jam, no one can accuse you of not ...