In a Jam

Now that I am boycotting manufactured condiments until such time as everybody can get their allergen-labelling acts together, there aren't a whole lot of jars and bottles in the fridge. Most of those remaining after last weekend's purge belong to Others in the Family: a quick inventory reveals ketchup, three different kinds of mustard, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Hershey's chocolate syrup, and some organic cherry spread that is so clearly labelled gluten-free I felt I could make an exception to my otherwise draconian restrictions. Also, cherries are delicious and the jar was 3/4 full. Waste not want not!

But that leaves a sucking void on the shelves where my jam traditionally resides. Since nature abhors a vacuum, I spent the week considering what to do - particularly since my fridge-a-lade was running out and some sort of alternative preserve was urgently required to gussy up my breakfast yogurt with chia seeds.

I had a very busy day yesterday and didn't have time to get to the shops - but the situation was desperate. I rummaged through the pantry and found six big organic carrots left over from ragu-making earlier in the week.

Carrot jam!

I'd never made it before but knew it was possible: carrots are sweetly delicious and I had some vague ideas about carrot pudding, carrot chutney, and gajar halwa. A quick internet trawl for some basic info on carrots' sugar and pectin content (web sources disagree wildly, of course: estimates range from 0.8% to 2.0% pectin by weight, but there is basic consensus that the super-root falls somewhere between oranges and apples - the most common sources of manufactured pectin).

A quick calculation (gotta' get those proportions right!) and I was away.

I thought about the sorts of flavours that complement carrots and considered additions throughout fabrication. I settled on cloves and ginger as my main seasonings, with a pinch of cayenne for welcome heat and a splash of vanilla for the finish. Cumin would have been good if I'd been going a more savory route and ground black pepper was also a possibility. I considered, too, grapefuit-scented white balsamic - maybe next time.

At any rate, the result was peerless, if I do say so myself: thick, delicious, and sophisticated-tasting with hints of spice and citrus. I ate some this morning and decided it was just about my favorite breakfast accompaniment of all time. It will be delightful on cornbread, as a relish for grilled pork (so assisting during tomorrow's dinner, in fact), and as a garnish for panna cotta. The fact that, having eaten of my titian condiment, I will be capable of owl-like night vision is an added bonus.

Now that jam-making has opened up a whole new line of gluten-free enquiry, I'll be filling up those shelves in no time.

Carrot Jam

• Some volume of carrots, peeled and chopped reasonably small (I had six carrots, which gave me three cups' worth)
• sugar to equal 2/3 carrot volume (I used one cup of white sugar and one cup of turbinado sugar)

For my three cups of carrots I also used the following (adjust to taste for different amounts of veg):

• the juice and grated zest of one lemon
• the juice and grated zest of one orange
• 2 cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• a pinch of cayenne

Combine the carrots and the sugar in a large saucepan. Add the citrus juice and zest, cloves, and most of the ginger (save a bit for a final dash at the end of cooking). Slowly bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently until the sugar has melted.

Bring to a slow boil and continue cooking over medium/high heat for about 40 minutes, or until the carrots are cooked and the mixture is syrupy. Stir often and reduce the heat if there is any sign of scorching at the edges.

At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and remove the cloves. Stir in the remaining ginger, vanilla, and cayenne. You could also add a little booze at this stage - brandy would be good - but that might be perceived as excessive by the temperance-promoters among us, especially if the preserve is to be served at breakfast time.

Transfer the jam to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and whizz it around until it is pretty smooth. You could also leave it chunky (which would be awesome) for a more chutney-like texture. Decant the result into your prettiest glass compotiers (my six carrots yielded two jars) and refrigerate. It should keep for weeks and weeks (if necessary, which is unlikely) as long as it's cold.