Bergamot-orange jam for Tea Time Treat

In January Karen from Lavender and Lovage is the virtual hostess for the monthly blogging event Tea Time Treats having focus on citrus. Tea Time treat is virtual tea table runned by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate Baked, which I participate regular in with great pleasure.

Having seen, that the theme is CITRUS, I have some difficulties in selecting just one recipe, so therefore I have decided to share a selection during this coming month with the rest of guests at this virtual tea table. 

So this is the second recipe, which I am sharing with the virtual tea table, and the one is another jam recipe, however, this time is made from bergamot and orange instead of grapefruit.

I received the bergamot fruit in my weekly vegetable box. In the beginning I thought, these bergamots were "old" lemon, which I thought was a bit unusual, as the citrus fruits normally are very, very fresh, when I receive my weekly vegetable boxes. When I located yet another "older" looking lemon, and I started to get a bit annoyed with receiving these two "older" looking lemon.

After emptying my vegetable box I started to look into the weekly newsletter -  Årstidernes weekly newsletter week 8/2012 - and I here I saw a recipe on bergamot-orange jam. And when I realised, what my "older" looking lemons actually were bergamot citrus fruit. It is also the very first time, that I see a bergamot in "real life" !!!!! And I am a big "user" of bergamot, as I drinking pot after pot of Earl Grey tea !!!!!


So I decided to make this bergamot-orange jam a la Årstiderne right here on the spot.

As this jam is made from citrus fruit and the sugar amount is quiet high, where is not need for adding pectin gelling powder, as the citrus fruit is a natural source of pectin.

 Bergamot - orange jam a la Årstiderne:

• 2 bergamots - organic
• 2 oranges - organic
• 2 tablespoon of almonds - without skin
• 550 g sugar or 600 g sugar is more sweetness is preferred

1. Wash the citrus fruits.
2. Place the citrus fruits in a small cooking pot, which when is filled with water.
3. Place the lid on the cooking pot. Let the citrus fruits boiled (softly) for 1 hour.
4. Remove the citrus fruits and place them in a blender.
5. Add almonds and sugar on top of the citrus fruits.
6. Blend everything into a homogeneous mass.
7. Prepare the jam glasses by filling them with boiling water. I do not use any preservatives in my home-made jam, so this is important to increase shelf-life of your jam. Another thing you can do is to store the jam cold afterwards. 
8. Fill the glass with jam and close the glass.